


Under Pressure

by The_Intuitive_Special



Series: Growing Up Haddock [3]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Childhood, Children, Duelling, F/M, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 16:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 72,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5974216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Intuitive_Special/pseuds/The_Intuitive_Special
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing Up Haddock Story 3: Life on Berk has been better than ever in the past year. But tragedy has a way of sneaking up on the most well prepared. And now that Hiccup and Astrid are saddled with even more responsibility, everything starts to fall apart at the seams.</p><p>Only HTTYD and Riders/Defenders of Berk are canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sick Day

**Author's Note:**

> Story 3 of Growing Up Haddock is here at least! I was back dating the others but I decided it's just too much work so I guess I'll keep them as is here. Anyway, enjoy! This work was co-written by EmmerzK.

_This is Berk._

_We've had a relatively quiet year. The time has flown by and it's incredible how much our children have grown. Adrianna is slowly but surely healing from her ordeal. Finn has become more rambunctious than ever. But the biggest change has been in my father. He's turned into the best grandfather I could have asked for._

_But we all should have known it wouldn't last. That horrible things tend to happen without any warning. It was a lesson we should have learned last year. And it's a lesson we'll have a hard time learning when the time comes to learn it again._

_But I know we'll get through it. We always do._

* * *

Astrid Hofferson Haddock was starting to get used to having extra time now that her children were slightly more independent. Outhouse training was finally over, Adrianna began to voluntarily play outside, and Finn was starting to figure out that following the rules resulted in a much more fun playtime. And with her father-in-law suddenly turning into the perfect grandfather, she actually had time to go flying by herself. For several hours, in fact. It was a luxury she should have appreciated a lot more before having children and she savored every second when she was airborne.

She touched down after a lengthy, albeit freezing cold, flight and looked out over the village. She didn't spot any of her family members in the crowd but this was not unusual or anything of which to be frightened. Her keen eyes spotted Helga Ingerman toddling about, her hand in her father's as they casually chatted with Mulch and Bucket. Moments later, she saw Snotlout emerge from his house, walking very slowly so that Inga, who was still a little bit wobbly on her feet, could follow him.

And then she glimpsed something bright red close to the ground. Her eyes followed it and Fearless Finn Haddock finally came into view, running as fast as his legs would carry him. Astrid looked over to the right, expecting to see her husband in pursuit, but she immediately spotted him talking to Gobber at the forge. So if Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the most gushy father Astrid had ever seen, wasn't chasing his son, then who was Finn running from?

The answer to this question pushed his way through the crowd seconds later. Stoick the Vast was gaining on the small boy, laughing as loudly as him. She watched him finally catch her son and lift him at least five feet into the air. Finn squirmed and giggled but Stoick didn't release him. An audible hiccup caused her to turn her head and spot Adrianna Miracle Haddock, her hand gripping the youngest Larson's, laughing at the sight of her brother being tickled. Seconds later, the little girl spotted her mother and she gasped in delight.

"Mommy!" she squealed, running at full speed so that Erick Larson nearly had his arm yanked out of its socket. "Did you like your flight?"

"I sure did!" Astrid replied, smiling in amusement at Erick, who was now rubbing his shoulder. "You and Erick having fun?"

"Uh huh! We built a snowman! Want to see?" Adrianna asked, letting her best friend's hand go in her haste to replace it with her mother's.

"I sure would!" Astrid replied, sliding off Stormfly. "Where is it?"

"At home. Come on!" Adrianna was hopping up and down in her excitement. "I wanted to show it to you first!"

"Anna did most of it." Erick added in a shy voice. "I just helped."

"I'm sure you both did a great job." Astrid assured him.

She looked over at her son again, who had apparently tackled his grandfather and was attempting to exact his revenge, and then back to her daughter, who was so excited, she hiccuped again. She barely seemed to notice the spasm seeing as it was an incredibly common occurrence but Erick smiled fondly. He was sure he would never get used to his best friend's hiccups but he didn't mind in the slightest. People were boring if they weren't at least a little bit unusual.

The Haddock home was slightly outside of the village, located close to the bridges that led to the Academy. It was Adrianna's clumsiness that necessitated the childproofing of the bridges but had she not taken her little spill, the village might not have been as safe as it became when the little Haddock twins were finally walking. It was for this reason that children were now allowed farther and farther out of town since safety wasn't nearly as much of an issue and so there were a few children in the Haddock front yard.

Two-year-old Gunnar Ingerman was toddling about in the snow and trying to create his own snowman next to Adrianna and Erick's. Astrid thought he was a bit too young to be wandering about on his own but since Mila Ingerman had been born the previous week, Ruffnut and Fishlegs had been understandably distracted. Hiccup and Astrid had been delighted when their prediction had come true and the villagers were beginning to call them the "baby masters." Neither of them were sure of why they were so good at being able to tell the gender of unborn children, especially considering the fact that neither of them had known that they themselves were expecting twins until Adrianna made a very surprising appearance just after Finn, but it was a fun trick.

Astrid gasped in delight when she approached the snowman, partially to make a bit of a show for her four-year-old daughter but, in part, because it was rather good for someone that young. The branches sticking out of its sides had several twiggy fingers and the rocks that made the eyes, nose, and mouth appeared to be carefully selected by either Adrianna or Erick. It was a work of art and Astrid was almost sad about its inevitable fate. She made a mental note to tell Hiccup to sketch it.

"This is wonderful!" she gushed, walking around the snowman a few times. "Wow, I'm really impressed! You two are going to be great artists."

"Like daddy?" Adrianna asked, her bright green eyes shining with excitement.

"Maybe you'll be better than daddy."

Astrid nearly laughed at the sight of her daughter looking almost awed at this possibility. The idea of being better than her father at anything was shocking considering how amazing and incredible he was in her eyes.

Stoick's footfalls became quite audible and everyone turned to watch him carry Finn to the Haddock house. His arms were around Finn's middle and the boy was hanging upside down, laughing so hard he snorted a few times. The grandfather deposited the child on the ground quite gently and Finn rolled over so he could stand up.

"That was fun, Poppy." Finn said breathlessly.

"It sure was. And how's my favorite granddaughter doing? Did you make that snowman?" Stoick got on his knees so that he could look Adrianna in the eye.

"Uh huh! Do you like it?" Adrianna asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

"That's the best snowman I've ever seen!" Stoick exclaimed, tapping her nose with a massive finger. Adrianna giggled.

"So all those snowmen I built growing up were just mediocre?" a voice drawled from behind the chief's head.

"No but your daughter has mastered three dimensional art." Stoick got to his feet and walloped his son on the back. Hiccup nearly fell over; both Finn and Adrianna snorted with laughter.

"Thanks, dad. The bruises from last time you did that were just starting to clear up." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Think of it as a badge of honor." Stoick strode forward and took a closer look at the snowman. "It's missing something."

"What?" Adrianna asked, looking slightly embarrassed for forgetting something.

Stoick took off his helmet and placed it on the snowman's head. Adrianna put both hands to her mouth and gasped dramatically.

"It's a snow Poppy!" she shrieked, leaping into her Poppy's arms and hugging him tight.

"He's missing a beard." Erick mumbled, looking extremely shy in the presence of the big village chief.

"By Thor, your friend is right!" Stoick took Adrianna's hand. "Why don't we get some twigs so we can make him a beard?"

Adrianna nodded and scampered off, Stoick in pursuit. She got as far as the edge of the woods before running back and grabbing Erick's hand.

"Come on, Erick!" she said as she rather forcefully pulled him along.

"Wha- okay!" he said, running behind his friend.

Hiccup eyed the small boy suspiciously. "I still don't like it."

"They're cute." Astrid nudged him. "And come on, how old is he? Six?"

"Six and a half. And she's not even five yet." Hiccup countered.

"She's _almost_ five." Astrid rolled her eyes.

Hiccup sighed deeply. "Yeah, okay."

Finn tugged on his mother's skirt, looking a bit irritated at being ignored. "Why doesn't daddy like Erick?"

"Because daddy is afraid that Erick will take Anna away from him." Astrid replied.

"I am not!"

" _Sure_ you're not."

Sometimes Finn didn't understand why his parents bickered like he did with Adrianna yet they always smiled when they did so. Almost like they _enjoyed_ bickering. He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. Grown-ups made no sense.

* * *

The snowman had been made into a very accurate snow-Poppy and the children had quite a lot of fun sculpting it so that it actually looked like their grandfather. Even Hiccup and Astrid got in on the fun. After an evening of exercising creativity and lots of laughter and hiccups, the family settled down in the Haddock house, a raging fire in the fire pit and a chicken dinner consumed. The dragons curled up on the hearth and were soon fast asleep. The twins were close to following their scaled friends in slumber.

Stoick looked fondly at his grandchildren, his grandson whose head was resting in Astrid's lap and his granddaughter who was curled up on Hiccup's, and felt like the luckiest man in the world. Ever since he had prioritized his family, his life had gotten much happier. He had been there for more of the little moments he had missed with Hiccup. He had never thought he'd like having a granddaughter but Adrianna had proven him wrong time and time again. And Finn made him laugh until even _he_ had the hiccups on an almost weekly basis. He looked over at Hiccup and Astrid, who seemed quite happy, and had a sudden burst of inspiration.

"Why don't you spend the night at my house? Have some time to yourselves." he suggested, waving toward the door.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged smiles and Stoick rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what his son and daughter-in-law were planning. Oh, to be young and in love. He'd nearly forgotten what that had been like.

"That would be great." Hiccup replied after winking at Astrid. He slowly stood up and placed a half asleep Adrianna into her Poppy's lap. "I think it's their bedtime so just tuck them in and sleep in the master bedroom." Stoick raised an eyebrow at his son. "The sheets are clean." Hiccup said almost sheepishly.

"They better be." Stoick chuckled, though he tried to keep it quiet.

Holding hands, Hiccup and Astrid opened the front door to allow their dragons to leave first and then left their house, excited about having a whole night to themselves. Stoick picked up his granddaughter and took his grandson's hand.

"Time for you to get to bed." he told them.

It was remarkable how much exercise and a good meal could tire a child out. Stoick gently placed Adrianna in her bed. He handed her Snowy, her stuffed Night Fury (why she'd chosen that name for a _black_ dragon was beyond him) and Mr. Gobcup, her favorite doll who was missing an arm and a leg and whose long hair had been chopped off when she decided it was male. Stoick couldn't fault the girl for creativity, that was for sure.

He then tucked his young grandson into his bed. He always liked the contrast between his grandchildren's rooms. Finn's was covered in greens and blues and blacks while Adrianna's was bright and colorful. They highlighted the personality differences between the two quite well.

Of course his son and daughter-in-law's room was still different. There were various scenic paintings that Hiccup had done over the years. It made him feel like he was sleeping outside. He still didn't quite like that but he rarely slept there so it hardly mattered. He sat down on the wool filled object his son had called a "mattress" and pulled the yak skin blanket his son had called a "comforter" over himself. He had to admit that his son's sleeping inventions were quite comfortable but he still thought it was a bit silly, almost as silly as the thing he'd called a "couch," an invention that had grown quite popular with the rest of the village.

It was completely silent now. The solitude was actually quite nice. Stoick almost wished he could move a little farther from the village. Sleep soon overcame him and he shut his eyes, allowing his mind to go blissfully blank.

* * *

"Poppy?"

Stoick wasn't sure if he was dreaming the high pitched noise coming from not too far away but if he was, he wanted to continue his sleep. However this was to no avail as the pitter patter of little feet came closer to his head. He briefly wondered what time it was. He moaned, not quite awake yet. Was it morning already?

"Poppy?"

It was too dark to be morning. And the voice didn't sound like Finn's. Stoick could have sworn that Hiccup had told him that Finn was the early riser. What was Adrianna doing out of bed?

"Whassamatter?" Stoick mumbled.

"My tummy hurts." Adrianna replied with a sniffle.

Stoick slowly sat up and quickly lit a lamp next to the bed. Adrianna came into view, her face looking redder than it should. The chief put a hand on her little forehead. Warmth radiated onto his palm. Adrianna was definitely sick.

"Do you think you're going to throw up, dear?" he asked her, stifling a yawn.

Adrianna nodded and so he got out of bed and took her tiny hand, leading her downstairs where there was a bucket for times such as these. He had her sit down on the couch with the bucket in her lap. She looked very uncomfortable. Stoick wasn't sure how to proceed. When Hiccup had gotten sick at a ridiculously late hour, he usually put him in front of a bucket and shuffled off to bed. But Adrianna was a more sensitive child than his son had been so he sensed that this would not be the best approach.

"I'm going to make you some tea. That might make you feel better." he said in a gentle tone.

Adrianna nodded again and so he walked off to the cabinet and searched for the best herbs for an upset stomach. Though while he had his back to the girl, he heard a retching noise. By the time he turned around, Adrianna had filled the bucket and now looked thoroughly miserable. A strangled sounding hiccup came from her throat and Stoick knew from experience that this signaled floods of tears. He briefly thought of getting Hiccup. His son always knew what to do when Adrianna was upset. But the odds of Hiccup and Astrid being awake at this hour were slim and even if they were, he wasn't about to leave the twins home alone. By the time these thoughts had passed through his brain, Adrianna had placed the bucket on the floor and the waterworks were underway.

Stoick stared at the sobbing child. He had no idea what to do. Or even what to say. What had he done when Hiccup was in floods of tears at that age? Oh yeah. He got his wife. This was no longer an option and with Finn being the only other person in the house, he knew that the task of comforting the girl fell on him. Adrianna turned to look at him, her body jolting with hiccups, and Stoick had a feeling that now was probably the best time to do something.

"Do you... umm... still want that tea?" The man could fight off hoards of dragons or hostile Vikings with nary a scratch but a crying child made him feel completely helpless.

Fortunately for him, Adrianna nodded. Stoick lit a fire and placed a few herbs in a kettle before filling it with water. He now had to figure out how to deal with his granddaughter in the few minutes before the tea was ready. What would Hiccup do?

"Do you think you're going to throw up again?" Hiccup wouldn't have asked that but Stoick didn't want to have to wash vomit off of anything in his son's house.

Adrianna shook her head. Well that was some small comfort. Stoick took the bucket of sick and pitched it in the backyard so the house wouldn't smell. He then turned back to his granddaughter. She was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Can daddy come home?" she asked in a timid voice.

"Your daddy will come home in the morning." Which was about five hours away but Stoick didn't want to voice this realization for fear that it would distress the girl further. "How are you feeling?"

"My tummy still hurts and I'm hot and I want my daddy." Adrianna whimpered.

The kettle hissed. Stoick was very glad for the distraction. He poured some tea into a mug, added a little bit of cold water so it wouldn't be too hot for Adrianna, and handed it to her. She sipped it, adding her tears to the mix as she did so. This made Stoick wonder just how many tears she had consumed over the years. Considering her propensity for crying, the number was probably impossible to tabulate.

"Are you feeling any better?" Stoick asked after about a minute.

Adrianna nodded but she certainly didn't _look_ any better. Stoick gently placed a hand on her forehead again and was dismayed to find it still hot. He was beginning to have the strong feeling that he would be awake for the rest of the night. But, he figured, he had made a promise to himself that he would spend more time with his family. He hadn't allowed any exceptions, like when he had no idea what to do. Slowly, he got up and sat down beside her, brushing her sweaty bangs from in front of her eyes.

He reminded himself that he was fortunate to have this opportunity considering the events of just over a year ago. He still felt twinges when he thought of it. As a matter of fact, though he would never admit it to anyone, he still dreamed about it. According to Hiccup, Adrianna's nightmares had finally ended about a month ago and her symptoms were rare.

But Adrianna was still alive, still sitting beside him, still hiccuping and drinking her tea. And Stoick knew that he had to do something. To _say_ something.

"Do you want to hear a story?" he asked, thinking hard about which Hiccup story would be best for this occasion.

"What kind of story?" Adrianna asked between hiccups.

"About your daddy when he was a little boy. Do you want to hear about that?"

Adrianna had a hard time picturing her tall daddy as a little boy but she nodded nonetheless.

"Your father was a very curious child." Stoick began, having finally decided on a story he knew his granddaughter would enjoy. "And one day when he was, oh, I think about six, he was at the Great Hall by himself. Val and I were making him wash the tables as punishment for something else he'd done. I honestly don't remember what it was but he clearly wasn't happy about it. I was at the forge so I'm not sure what happened but your father says that he found a torch underneath one of the tables. Now I wouldn't let him carry one because I didn't trust him with fire."

"Why not?" Adrianna asked. She had seen her father set fires lots and lots of times.

"Because he had a tendency to drop anything he was carrying or trip over things. I didn't want him setting fire to the village. Mind you, he's done that a few times too but this was the first."

"Daddy set the village on fire?" Adrianna was shocked. Her daddy may be a little clumsy but he was always careful with fire.

"Not this time. He did come close a few times when he was a teenager but he'd never done it before at this point. Anyway, he found the torch and decided to light it with the fire from the fireplace. I think he liked fire for some reason. Now what happened after that is a bit fuzzy but I think he was swinging it around because it was a little too heavy for him and lit one of the tapestries on fire." Stoick sighed deeply, slightly amused at this memory. Raising Hiccup was the most difficult thing he'd ever done but now that it was over, these stories were beginning to become rather humorous.

"But they're not burned!" Adrianna was now beginning to think her Poppy was telling her tall tales.

"A few seamstresses repaired them a little while later. But you can still see some of the burn marks if you look carefully. Anyway, your daddy started screaming and grabbed one of the tablecloths to put out the fire. And then the tablecloth ignited and pretty soon it was a raging fire. I will never forget walking into the Great Hall and seeing him jumping up and down, trying to put out the fire. He even started blowing on it at one point." Adrianna felt Stoick shake with quiet laughter. "It really wasn't funny at the time but it sure is funny now."

Adrianna giggled and wiped away a few tears. "Did daddy get in trouble?"

"You daddy got in very _big_ trouble. He got a spanking _and_ he wasn't allowed to play outside for a few days. I told him not to play with fire and he disobeyed and nearly burned down the Great Hall."

Adrianna didn't like spankings but in this case, she thought her daddy had deserved his. Why he might have been burned up and then he wouldn't have been able to ask the dragon fairy for her and Finn! And then she might have been given to Uncle Snotlout and Aunt Heather or Aunt Ruffnut and Uncle Fishlegs! And then he wouldn't be her daddy! Still, the mental picture of her daddy (looking exactly the same, only smaller) running around and trying to put out a fire was _very_ funny. As she hiccuped with giggles, she nearly forgot about how yucky she felt.

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid spent a leisurely morning cuddling before going back to their house to collect their children. They didn't want to leave Stoick with them for too long because they knew better than anyone that Finn and Adrianna could be quite the handful.

They walked into the front door as quietly as they could, just in case the kids were still asleep, and stopped in the doorway. Stoick was sitting on the couch, his head resting on its back and his eyes shut. Adrianna was leaning on him, fast asleep and looking quite peaceful. After taking a few seconds to make sure they were seeing what they thought they were seeing, Hiccup and Astrid tiptoed forward. Hiccup got down on his knees in front of his daughter and took her hand, squeezing it gently. Her little eyes fluttered open.

"Daddy." she said with a small smile once Hiccup came into focus.

"Hey, sweetie. What happened?" he whispered, gently stroking her hand with his thumb.

"I got sick. And Poppy told me stories." Adrianna replied. She then yawned widely.

"She got up in the middle of the night because she wasn't feeling well. And so I told her stories." Stoick explained, stretching out his muscled arms. "I'm going to go home now that Anna's in capable hands."

"Thanks, dad." Hiccup smiled, glad that his father had taken such good care of his daughter.

"She's a good kid, Hiccup." Stoick said, walking to the door and putting on his cape.

"Well, Addie, what say you go back up to your bed and sleep off that fever?" Astrid placed a hand on the girl's forehead. "I'll bring you some soup later, okay?"

Adrianna nodded and put her arms around Hiccup's neck. Her daddy lifted her into the air and walked her to her room. He gently placed her on the bed and kissed her forehead. Once he shut the door behind him, he turned to his wife.

"Well, looks like we'll have a quiet morning." he said, entwining his fingers with hers.

"At least until Finn gets up." Astrid replied, peeking into his room. "And he's out like a light. Yeah. I guess we can make breakfast without any interruptions.

"Now that sounds wonderful." Hiccup grinned and followed his wife downstairs.


	2. A Boy's First Love

It is often said that a boy's first love is his mother. If anyone on Berk had ever doubted this phrase, one look at the Haddock family would quell their doubts in an instant. There was something in the way Astrid and Finn interacted that resonated with people. It was something that made them smile when they saw the two together. Identical pairs of blue eyes staring at each other, the roughhousing and tumbling in the dirt, and the hugs and kisses... everything about Astrid and Finn exuded love in its most innocent and beautiful form.

This wasn't to say that Astrid didn't adore her daughter or that Finn didn't love his father. Of course they did. But every love is different. It is impossible to love two people the same way. And the love between mother and son went beyond anything Astrid had ever hoped it could be. From the very first moment Finn was in her arms, he was _hers_. He was the baby who had, in a single moment, changed everything. The baby who taught her how to love again. And now he was the boy who showed her that no matter how much he drove her insane with his mischief and occasional tantrums, she couldn't possibly forget, even for a second, how much she adored him.

Sometimes, when you have someone in your life that you care for very much, you need to set aside days to be with that one person. There were two monthly holidays in the Haddock household. The second Saturday of each month was the day Hiccup spent with Finn and Astrid spent with Adrianna. The fourth Saturday of each month was the day Astrid spent with Finn and Hiccup spent with Adrianna. It was tradition ever since the twins were a year old. And as much as the kids loved the second Saturday, both eagerly anticipated the fourth. Parents aren't supposed to play favorites, and truth be told, neither Hiccup nor Astrid favored one child over the other, but no one could deny that spark between mother and son or father and daughter. There was something intrinsically special about it.

It was the fourth Saturday in April. Hiccup planned to stay at home with Adrianna while Astrid had painstakingly made some special tools for her day with Finn. The boy's birthday was one day short of two months away. He was big for his age, about two inches taller than his sister and quite a bit wider. His tufts of red hair were thick and tended to stick up when it wasn't combed. His face was dusted with freckles. He had thick eyebrows like his father but his wide, blue eyes were definitely a product of Astrid's genetics. Looking at him, you might have thought he was a few months into his fifth year. His voice was low, not even close to changing yet still distinctly masculine. Astrid had been thinking very hard about when to begin teaching her son how to defend himself with the most basic weapons and she decided that, as long as a few safety precautions were set forth, that particular Saturday was the perfect day to begin his training.

Finn rose with the sun and shook his mother awake. Hiccup mumbled something incoherent in his sleep, probably a groggy protest as his warm wife arose from the bed. Astrid yawned and stretched but soon felt quite alert. She and her son liked to wake up early in the morning. Hiccup and Adrianna detested any time of day when the sun hadn't risen above the forest. Astrid made a quick detour into her daughter's room to shake her awake so she could spend the rest of the morning snuggling with her daddy. The small girl looked like she was sleepwalking as she made her way into the master bedroom.

Shaking their heads at the family members who preferred the night hours, Astrid and Finn tiptoed downstairs as quietly as they could. After a hurried breakfast (both were eager to begin their day, after all), they bounded outside, hand-in-hand. The early risers in the village smiled fondly at the pair. They always knew when it was the fourth Saturday of the month.

It took a few moments of walking alongside his mother when Finn suddenly noticed the bag she was carrying over her shoulder. He furrowed his brows, thinking very hard. He knew that bag. She always carried that bag when she needed... needed... oh yeah!

"Mommy, are we going hunting?" the boy asked, staring up at Astrid with an inquisitive expression.

"Nope. I've got something even better planned. But we need to go a little ways into the woods so we won't be interrupted." Astrid explained to the child.

"So why do you have your hunting bag?" Finn was just about _dying_ of curiosity at this point.

The young mother squeezed her son's hand."If I told you that, I'd be ruining the surprise!"

Astrid smiled at the very conflicting emotions flashing in her son's eyes. She could tell that he wanted to keep pressing... but he absolutely _loved_ surprises. Almost as much as he loved berries and mud pits. And only a tiny bit less than he loved her. She made a mental note to tell Hiccup to throw their son a surprise birthday party one year. This would be difficult since Adrianna found surprises thoroughly overwhelming and might not react very well.

Finn could be a boy of very few words when he was concentrating on an objective. In this case, his objective was to figure out why his mother had her hunting bag with her and why they had to walk far away from the village to do... whatever they were going to do. Astrid didn't like filling silence with lots of talking (this was where she and Hiccup differed) and so mother and son were silent.

Finally, they reached a clearing a little ways from the village. They were unlikely to be interrupted in a place such as this. Finn looked at his mother inquisitively, carefully watching her take off her bag and place it on the ground. She opened it slowly, dragging out the suspense and enjoying the almost agonized look on Finn's face. Finally she pulled out a small axe made entirely of wood. With enough force, it could probably break through skin but Finn couldn't do much damage with it and that was the general idea. She had asked Gobber to make some child friendly versions of weapons. She would wait until her little boy was eight before she let him use anything sharp.

Finn's eyes lit up and in that instant, Astrid could tell that she was dealing with a boy who had inherited her love for heavy and dangerous weaponry. It was in his blood from both sides of the family so she figured it was high time he experimented with just how natural a talent he had for the skill.

"Do I... can I... mommy?" Finn didn't seem to know what to ask first. Astrid chuckled at the awed expression the wooden axe was receiving.

"Yes, little man. You're going to start learning how to throw one of these. It'll be really important in Thawfest." she told him, placing the handle in his pudgy little hand.

"I can throw an axe at Thawfest?" Finn was beginning to hop up and down with excitement.

Astrid ruffled his hair. "Not your first year, little guy. You've got to wait until you're eight to throw an axe at Thawfest."

"But that's in a long, long time!" Finn whined.

Astrid got down on her knees so she could look her son straight in the eye. "That's why we're practicing now. It'll be a long, long time before you can throw anything sharp but when you can, you'll be the best weapons guy on Berk. Maybe you'll be better than your daddy."

Finn shrugged. "Well _that's_ not so hard."

"Don't tell daddy you said that." Astrid said, trying to choke down her laughter. Hiccup would not appreciate having his abilities questioned by his four-year-old son.

She placed the small wooden axe in his hands. He looked almost awed. This was the first weapon his mother had ever let him throw! He had thrown a few without her permission but he had gotten in big trouble for those times.

"All right, buddy, here's what you do. Stand up straight and tall." Astrid placed her hands on his sides and helped him get into position. "Feet slightly apart. Like that, exactly."

Finn was concentrating very hard on her instructions. It was rare that he was _this_ focused on anything either of his parents said. He seemed to have selective hearing most of the time. This time, his ears were in tune with every syllable. He stared at his target, the thick tree directly in front of him.

"All right. Put the axe behind your head a bit. Good, like that!" Astrid was pleased to note that Finn seemed to have a natural talent already. "Now throw it!"

Finn threw the axe as hard as he could. It hit the tree squarely in the middle, handle first. But, for his first time, this was an excellent throw. Even Astrid wasn't as accurate her first time.

"That was great!" she patted him on the back. "Can you go get the axe so you can throw it again?"

Finn scampered forward and had the axe back to his mother in seconds. Astrid instructed him to step forward a bit so he was at a better angle. He threw it again, this time much harder than the first time.

SNAP!

The wooden axe had hit the tree at an odd angle and immediately broke in half. Finn's bright blue eyes widened in horror.

"I broke it." he whimpered, looking a combination of embarrassed and distraught.

"That's okay, bud-"

"It's broken!" the boy repeated, his eyes brimming with tears.

Astrid was thoroughly confused. Finn had broken many things around the house. He almost never had an emotional reaction like that. He raised both his hands to his face to hide his eyes but there was no stopping the tears once they had begun.

"Hey..." Astrid scooted over on her knees and put her arms around her son. "What's the matter?"

"I b-broke your axe." Finn repeated, keeping his eyes covered.

"Wood breaks, that's nothing to cry about." she rubbed his back, trying to soothe the tense muscles.

"But I d-did it wrong." Finn wailed.

"You threw that axe so hard, it broke. I think you did it right!" Astrid kissed him on the cheek. "You're not just crying because of the axe, are you buddy?" Finn sniffed loudly and shook his head. "I didn't think so. Why are you crying?"

"Because this is _our_ d-day and I was looking f-forward to it and n-now it's ruined."

"Look at me." Astrid gently removed his hands from his eyes and waited until his son was looking directly into hers. "I'm not mad. Everyone makes mistakes. Your daddy and sister do silly things like that all the time. You know that."

"I know b-but I'm not supposed to."

This was a surprise. Astrid paused for a moment, trying to come up with the best response.

"You're not supposed to make mistakes? Who told you that?" she asked, brushing his bangs from in front of his eyes.

"Nobody b-but I'm gonna be chief and I h-have to be good at everything b-because everyone is gonna need me like they need Poppy." Finn's words didn't make much sense but Astrid was beginning to catch on.

"Oh Finn." Astrid put her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Everybody makes mistakes. I make mistakes. Daddy makes mistakes. Poppy makes mistakes. No one needs you to be perfect."

"But Anna n-needs me to take c-care of her 'cause she s-still gets scared." Finn continued, acting like he hadn't heard his mommy's words.

"Finn..." Astrid placed her hands on her son's shoulders and brought them out so she could look at his face. He looked down at the ground but she gently placed two fingers on his chin and brought it up so he was facing her. "You don't need to take care of Anna. Daddy and I take care of Anna. You need to worry about Finn." she pointed to his heart. "And daddy and I will worry about Anna."

"I don't have to protect her?" Finn asked, now staring down at his boots.

"Nope. Not for a long, long time. And you _don't_ have to be perfect. You'll learn this. It takes practice. I know you can do it, buddy." Astrid lifted her pointer finger and touched the tip of his freckled nose. "Don't let anyone tell you that you have to be perfect. And if anyone _does_ say that, tell them to come talk to me and I'll set them straight. My boy is wonderful just the way he is." she kissed him on the cheek. "Well... maybe there are a few things that need to be improved."

Finn wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "Like what?"

"Well, a future chief shouldn't be so ticklish!" Astrid immediately tickled her little son, causing him to shriek with surprised laughter.

"Mommy!" he squealed between giggles.

"What? Am I tickling too hard? Give up?" Astrid knew her son too well to believe for an instant that he would ever surrender that easily.

Sure enough. "No way!" he exclaimed, now trying to tickle her back.

A few minutes later, both mother and son were lying on their backs, their faces red from laughing. Both were panting with exhaustion. Astrid looked over at Finn and smiled. There were still tear stains down his cheeks but at least some of them were from his giggling fits. He had been successful in causing her to shriek with laughter in such a way that would have been embarrassing had they been in public.

"Feeling better?" she asked him, rolling onto her stomach and propping her chin on her palms.

"Yeah. I love you, mommy." Finn grinned, revealing a row of very white baby teeth.

"I love you too, buddy. And you know what?"

"What?"

Astrid reached into her bag. "I might have something here that will make you feel better?"

Finn's curiosity was piqued once more. He got on his knees so he could look over Astrid's shoulder just as she pulled out three wooden axes.

"Looks like we can still do some practice. And you know what else?"

Finn, looking delighted, shook his head.

"I want you to break them all! Because that means you're throwing them really hard!" Astrid smiled and brushed his bangs from his eyes again. "You think you can do that for me?"

Finn nodded and reached out to take one of the axes. Astrid smiled fondly as he threw it at the tree, hitting it with the blade this time. She could already tell that he was going to be a weapons prodigy. All he needed was a little confidence.

* * *

Astrid tromped down the stairs, not bothering to be quiet for her sleeping children. They were both just as exhausted as their parents from the day's activities. Nothing would awaken them from slumber until morning.

Hiccup leaned his head against the couch, twisting to watch Astrid walk around to sit beside him.

"Tired?"

"Always." Astrid flopped beside him, her head resting in his lap. He smoothed his thumb across her cheek lovingly as she added, "But it was a great day. Finn had fun with his little wooden axes just as I suspected. He was so surprised. You should have seen his adorable little face light up."

"Are you sure that teaching Finn how to use a weapon at nearly five is a good idea?"

"Notice I said little and wooden."

"Yeah, but what's to stop him from using one of yours?"

"I gave him strict instructions and warnings not to do so. Trust me, he won't."

"Okay, now my faith is restored." Astrid slapped his chest with the back of her hand, making him laugh a little.

"You have such little faith." She rolled her eyes. "You're so paranoid."

"Sorry." Hiccup rubbed an eye. "I can't help it."

"I know, but believe you me, when that boy is fifteen he is not going to be happy with all that paranoia." Astrid replied, holding his arm that rested on her stomach.

"Yeah probably." He smiled suddenly. "But thankfully that is not for a super long time. It's much easier to take care of them now I think."

"I don't know," Astrid breathed skeptically. "The teen years are pretty bad."

"Worse than the terrible twos?" Hiccup asked incredulously. "Impossible."

"But they were cute as two-year-olds! Who knows what scary things could happen with puberty?"

Hiccup laughed out loud. "Come on, we looked good as teens. I'm sure they won't have problems."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "You can't chalk everything down to genetics you know."

"No?" Hiccup asked, looking down at her with an amused gaze. "And what other factors are remaining?"

"Maybe they look exactly like us but they won't be completely like us when they're older. That make sense?"

"Eh… no."

Astrid sighed, raising her hands as if they'd help explain herself better. Hiccup studied her right arm in his face, his eyes trailing the skin he knew was soft. "Like Adrianna has my hair and your eyes, and she's clumsier than Gobber when he's drunk, just like you. But maybe…" she paused in surprise when Hiccup slid his fingers up the inside of her upper arm. She ignored him, continuing, "Maybe she won't always be like… like that, maybe she'll start… would you stop?"

Hiccup had started kissing her arm as she talked, his lips leaving gentle kisses up to her wrist. He wasn't even listening! What was the point of talking to him if he never listened? She considered getting up and going to bed.

"Mmm… no." Hiccup whispered, kissing the top of her hand chastely.

She pulled it away quickly, forcing him to stop with a glare. But the glare only intensified his desire for affection, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips and eyes narrowing. "What? You don't like that?"

Astrid sat up with a huff, putting her back to him. "I don't like it when I'm talking to you and you don't listen." she sharply inhaled when Hiccup slid his hand around her stomach. "Hiccup really…" she bit her lip when he moved her braid, exposing her neck and pressed his lips to her soft skin. She turned her neck to partially look at him. "I really don't have energy for this tonight…" she whispered.

Hiccup kissed just below her ear and whispered, "I never said we had to do anything exhausting." He kissed her neck again.

Astrid rolled her eyes in annoyance, but almost habitually tilted her head up against his shoulder as he pulled her closer. "There are never particular lines drawn with this type of thing either."

"Nope…" Hiccup breathed, pressing his chest against her back. He rested his chin on her shoulder and felt the electricity bite through his system at the tempting curve of her neck just a few inches away. He reached up and rested his finger tips just below her chin, slowly trailing them down to the hollow of her throat. She shivered against his chest and turned her face toward his. Hiccup lifted his head an inch, looked down at her.

Astrid seemed torn between stubbornness and contemplation for a split second before she finally sat up and twisted around. "Oh what the heck." She landed her lips on his in an intensely passionate kiss that he was hoping for. His mouth opened against hers, catching her bottom lip between his teeth. She yelped when he bit her lip twice. "Stop it…" she whispered.

"No." He whispered back before pulling her on top of him. He pressed his mouth to her exposed collarbone, her hands pressing to the back of his neck, her sighs loud in his ear. He wrapped his fingers around her thigh, pulling her closer, making her squeal sharply.

"Remember that line…" she whispered teasingly.

He trailed his mouth up her neck and kissed her jawline. "Hmm what line?" He asked heatedly. "I don't recall any line."

"Shut up." Astrid pulled the hair at the back of his head, tilting his head against the back of the couch. He grinned for a second before she planted her mouth back on his, each warm puff of air between their lips sending shocks through her system. She bit his top lip, making him sigh in pleasure before sharply inhaling when her mouth left his to kiss his jaw.

Hiccup tried to focus on her mouth, their closeness, but could feel her hands at the top of his tunic, her fingers fumbling. By the time he realized what she was doing, she had four buttons undone and her lips pressed to his bare chest. He breathed a small laugh, his breath heavy. "So much for lines, huh?"

Astrid raised her head to give him an almost annoyed look. "Well someone was decidedly against that."

"Me? I don't know what you're talking about." Hiccup smirked before pushing his body away from the couch to put Astrid on her back. He loomed over her with a smile, satisfied with his victory tonight. Or she was really so tired she didn't want to fight. Or maybe she was playing hard to get and really had no intention to fight him at all. He wasn't sure which option sounded more appealing.

Astrid gently wrapped her right leg around his left so her shoe wouldn't whack the sensitive nerves in his leg. Hiccup pressed his lips to her neck below her jawline, his tongue darting out as he made his way to her mouth again. She moaned pitifully when he pulled her top lip into his mouth, allowing his tongue to pass her teeth and slowly move against hers. She tightened her hold on his leg, pressing her body up against his, her fingers twisting into his loose shirt. Hiccup moaned, deeply inhaling at the action, his hand wrapping around her back.

"Astrid…" he whispered, their lips a centimeter apart. He caught her lips again, his hand reaching up her shirt to feel her skin. The warmth of her body underneath him combined with the wetness of her mouth sent shocks through his system. They couldn't be close enough

"What?" She asked between kisses, a difficult feat with the intensity of which his mouth pressed to hers.

"I love you…" He whispered, pecking her lips. "I love you."

Astrid smiled, ruining a kiss. "I know. I love you too."

Hiccup bent his head to the base of her neck where he kissed her collarbone and left a trail down to the collar of her shirt just above her chest. He raised his head only for a moment to pull her shirt down, exposing more of her cleavage. He sighed heavily against her chest, her hands buried in his hair, biting her lip at the passion of his kiss. Astrid released his leg and slid her knees up to hug his hips, making him grin mid-kiss.

"Getting really into it aren't you?"

"How could I not?" Astrid asked. "It's your fault."

"No, it's just the effect you have on me."

"Excuses. You're the man. Take some responsibility around here." Astrid's smirk disappeared when his eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. She pursed her lips.

"Really? Do you _really_ want that?" He narrowed his eyes, sliding up toward her to lean over her face. "You do realize one of the times I did that we ended up with twins?"

"That wasn't just you."

"Okay then, so when you say take responsibility around here," Hiccup cocked his head at her, the mischievous look unwavering. "What exactly are you referring to?"

Astrid's heart thumped against her ribs, which she feared he could hear. She mildly shook her head. "Nothing in particular."

"I don't believe you."

"That's because you do things better by doing them yourself," Astrid replied, thinking fast but unsure if the words she said were really logical and to her benefit. "You don't need instruction by word, you thrive on working…with your hands… and such… oh Thor."

Hiccup laughed, resting his forehead on her chest. Her body shook with his through his laughter. She had just dug herself into the _biggest_ pit.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know! I know…" Hiccup wiped an eye, still chuckling. "Oh gods, your face. You should have seen your face! The wheels are not turning in your favor tonight."

Astrid sighed heavily, resting her hands on his waist. "Whatever. It could always be worse."

"No it couldn't." Hiccup shook his head. "That right there was probably the worst thing you've ever said when trying to save yourself."

"Probably…" she sighed, but remembered her bent legs. Giving him a seductive look she slightly squeezed her legs, the pressure on his hips slightly tightening. "But really, what's to save?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not making much sense." he rested his forehead on hers, gently kissing her nose. "What do you want tonight?"

Astrid exhaled heavily, the temptation of continuing this pleasurable moment pressing down on her by every moment. It wasn't often they really did this and even less often that she gave him complete control. Not that he wasn't always gentle, but he usually let her guide him in these types of things because he wasn't one, even in marriage, to impugn on someone's emotions or feelings to satisfy his own desires. But every once in a while, she had to let him take the reigns. After a while he needed it like he needed to fly after being grounded too long. It was just necessary.

"In all honesty… I just want to go to bed. I'm very tired." she admitted. "Not that this hasn't been great, I just…"

"Astrid." Hiccup shook his head with a gentle smile. "You have things to do tomorrow. You don't need to be exhausted both physically and mentally. We can do this anytime on a night that doesn't come before an exhausting day."

Astrid smiled and nodded, kissing him firmly on the lips. "Okay, let's go then."

Hiccup sat up onto his knees, offering her a hand. He pulled her into a sitting position, waiting patiently as she arched her back in a heavy stretch (he had discovered early on that it resulted from lying on her too long). Hand in hand, the couple walked up the stairs to their master bedroom, changed into more comfortable clothes, and was soon snuggled up under the furs and sheets in pitch darkness. From the very long day's events, both were fast asleep within minutes.


	3. A Girl's First Love

It is said that a girl's first love is her father. One look at the Haddock family was irrefutable proof of that statement's truth. There was a sort of beauty in Hiccup and Adrianna's relationship that was easily visible to everyone on Berk. People would stumble across them lying in fields and pointing out shapes in the clouds. They would often watch the pair in the Great Hall, the tall and skinny man sitting across from a tiny wisp of a girl, listening to every word she said with rapt attention. Hiccup would often carry his daughter all over the village and, when they weren't socializing with anyone, it was like they were in their own invisible bubble. Villagers loved seeing Hiccup's face light up when his little girl giggled, loved watching him tap her nose with the tip of his finger or gently brush her long hair out of her face.

Hiccup had wanted a little girl from the first moment he had found out that he and Astrid were expecting a baby. His dreams of parenthood were always focused on his relationship with his daughter. He loved Finn every bit as much as Adrianna but he had felt the tiniest twinge of disappointment when he had thought that his son was the only baby they had. But then Adrianna came into the world, feet first, blue in the face, and undeniably female. The little girl he had dreamed of having was in his arms... and he wasn't going to let her slip away from him. Though he never said it outright, he considered the moment she had breathed for the first time to be one of the most precious moments of his life. As much as Finn was Astrid's, Adrianna was _his_. Even her name was his own creation, a combination of syllables that came to him the moment he was looking into her eyes.

Over the years, Adrianna seemed to have decided that he was hers as well. He was the first person who had made her laugh. She had taken her first steps directly into his arms. Most children initially run to their mothers when they get hurt or are frightened. Adrianna had always made a beeline to her daddy when she needed someone. He was her rock, her hero, and she was his baby girl.

The fourth Saturday of every month was always special. Even if Hiccup and Adrianna only spent it walking around the village or telling stories on the couch, they were always memorable. Hiccup had thought long and hard about what he and Adrianna could do that day. Astrid generally planned activities for her rambunctious son but Adrianna didn't need much planning. She loved the little moments with her parents.

On the fourth Saturday in April, Hiccup vaguely heard Finn bounding into his room and felt Astrid rise from bed a moment later. He tried to say something about staying in bed a bit longer but he didn't think his wife would understand a single word. A few minutes later, he felt his daughter crawl into the bed and snuggle into him. He placed an arm over her and the two of them were asleep in seconds.

The sun was over the trees and shining directly into the window when father and daughter were finally awake. Rather than bolt out of bed like Astrid and Finn, they remained in bed a few minutes longer. Adrianna took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose, making a faint humming noise.

"What are you thinking about?" Hiccup asked her, smiling fondly as she rolled over so she could face him.

"What we're going to do today." Adrianna replied, stifling a yawn.

"What do you want to do, Addie?" Hiccup learned a long time ago that Adrianna would have no idea what she wanted to do until the moment he asked.

Adrianna put her chin in her hands and furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought. "Umm... cookies?"

"Cookies?" Hiccup chuckled. "What kind of cookies?"

"Mint chocolate!" Adrianna exclaimed, startling her daddy. "That's the best kind!"

Mint chocolate cookies were also the hardest to make but Hiccup and Adrianna loved making them. It was a lengthy process that allowed them to spend a lot of time together. They rolled out of bed and walked downstairs hand-in-hand, still in their pajamas. Unlike Astrid and Finn, they preferred to stay in their more comfortable clothes. Unless they needed to go to the village, they often stayed in their sleepwear all day.

Within seconds, the ingredients for the cookies were out on the table. Hiccup and Adrianna knew exactly how to make these cookies, having made them dozens of times before. Several fourth Saturdays were spent making them. In fact, the village often looked forward to them because they always made too many.

"All right, Addie, can you mix everything up like I showed you last time?" Hiccup asked her, handing her a wooden spoon.

It was remarkable how much his daughter remembered about baking her favorite kind of cookies. Especially since she had such a terrible memory concerning most other things. Hiccup watched her crack eggs, pour yak's milk, and add several kinds of powder. He supposed he wasn't really watching what she was doing as much as he was simply _looking_ at her. She wasn't going to be this small forever and he wanted to remember exactly how she looked. The way her nose curved upward just like his and Astrid's did. Her long blonde hair's tendency to fall in front of her face. The oval shaped green eyes, exactly like his but thankfully more feminine with longer eyelashes. The little freckles dusting her face, quite faint even on the sunniest days but still visible. He loved her dainty little hands (definitely Astrid's genetics at work) and her melodic, girlish voice that hiccuped when she was emotional. Right now, she was sticking out her tongue in concentration, something he found absolutely adorable (and, though he didn't know it, he had taught her).

Soon, her wide green eyes were facing his. "Now I just gotta get out the mint leaves." she said with a tiny giggle.

"You sure do!" Hiccup pointed to the ugly metal flowerpots on the windowsill. His daughter excitedly bounded over to them to collect some of the mint leaves.

Toothless, who had been sunbathing next to one of the other windows, decided that this was a good time to attempt to stick his snout in the batter. Hiccup rolled his eyes and moved the bowl over so his dragon couldn't access it. The Night Fury made an annoyed gurgling noise and swished his tail irritably. There was a crash and a squeak.

Hiccup looked around, checking to see if everything was okay, and his heart plummeted. Adrianna had immediately run into the corner, pulling her knees up to her chest and burying her face into her arms. He had thought those days were almost over. Every time his little girl had a moment like this, he felt a whirlwind of emotions. Rage at what had happened to her and at himself for not being able to stop it. Sorrow that she was feeling this way to begin with. Fear that these days would never end. His heart twisting in his chest, he slowly walked over to her and got on his knees.

"Addie, it's me. It's your daddy." he said in a calm voice. Months of trial and error had taught him the best way to help his little girl but it didn't stop him from feeling frustrated that this was still happening. "You're at home. You're safe at home with me. Look at me, baby."

Adrianna didn't move. Hiccup sighed and gently placed his hands on her arms. She didn't flinch but then again, he wasn't altogether certain she could feel it. He had always wondered what these felt like to her. Whether she could see or hear what had happened to her over a year ago. What was it like to be forced to relive the most horrible moments of your life? He didn't know but the fact that his four-year-old daughter knew was infuriating.

"Addie, you're at home. You're at home with your daddy. No one is going to hurt you. Can you hear my voice?"

Still no response. No movement. Adrianna remained rigid, her breathing labored. Hiccup sighed deeply. Sometimes he could snap her out of these episodes. Other times he simply had to wait until they were over. The latter seemed to be true this time. Hiccup looked up at his dragon, who was watching the scene with concern, and made a silencing motion. A sudden noise would probably make things worse. He then turned back to his little girl.

"Addie, you're safe. Can you hear my voice?" he asked as softly as he could.

The child stirred slightly. Very slowly, she raised her head and looked at him, her green eyes wide with fear and several strands of hair falling over her face. Hiccup gently reached over and pushed her hair away from her eyes. She flinched and so he pulled his hands back but, a few seconds later, she seemed to be completely aware of her surroundings.

"Daddy?"

Hiccup sighed in relief. "I'm here, baby."

This was all she needed to hear. She immediately let go of her legs, sliding them onto the floor, and reached out her arms. Hiccup picked her up and held her tight. He could feel her shaking as she held onto him for dear life.

After a few seconds, she let go of his neck and shoulders. "All right, Addie, what did I promise you?"

Adrianna's lips curled upward in a tiny smile. "You're never gonna let anyone take me away."

"That's right." Hiccup tapped her nose. "And has anyone taken you away from me?"

Adrianna shook her head. Hiccup smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "You want to keep making cookies?"

"Uh huh." his daughter replied.

He lowered her to the ground and kept an eye on her as she picked a few mint leaves from within the iron flowerpot. He placed a hand on the top of Toothless' head, still watching his daughter.

"You've got to be careful with her, bud." he whispered. "I know you didn't mean it but please... I don't like seeing her like that."

He turned to look at his dragon, who made a quiet coo of understanding. He looked a little embarrassed but Hiccup patted him on the head and gave him a small smile. It had been an accident and he wasn't going to blame Toothless for what had happened. The blame fell on someone else entirely and she was long gone. It was Hiccup and Astrid's job to pick up the pieces.

"I got them, daddy!" Adrianna faced him and the smile was still on her lips but Hiccup knew that look. He _hated_ that look. The dead eyes, the slack muscles... it was the look his daughter had when she wasn't happy but was pretending that she was.

He got down on his knees so he was looking directly into her blank eyes. "Addie, you know I'm going to keep those promises." he said in a gentle voice, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"I know." Adrianna bit her lower lip.

"Are you still scared, sweetie?"

There was a pause and then his daughter slowly nodded. Hiccup sighed. It could be hours before she was back to normal, even on the best of days. For a few months directly after her traumatic experience, she had gone through an intense biting phase, drawing blood on all three other Haddocks on multiple occasions and once on Erick (he had forgiven her but wore long sleeves to visit her for months afterward). But Hiccup and Astrid began to crack down on her for it and she finally stopped. The nightmares were rare but these little moments of intense fear were still happening and they didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Hiccup hugged Adrianna close to him, trying to non-verbally express just how much he loved her and how far he was willing to go to protect her. Sometimes he feared that she wasn't happy at all, that she faked it to make them feel better. But then something would make her laugh until he had intense hiccups and he was reminded that it was simply a process and that they couldn't rush her. She had to heal in her own time.

But if there was one thing that helped her heal more than anything, it was time with her daddy. And cookie baking was even more helpful. Adrianna had quite a sweet tooth. Hiccup sometimes wondered if this was to blame for her short attention span but he was also beginning to suspect that she truly couldn't help it.

He held her hand as they finally added the mint leaves and then put their little blobs of dough on the large, flat stone. They put it into the fire and let it sit while they went upstairs and played with Snowy and Mr. Gobcup. Hiccup loved the personality she'd given Mr. Gobcup. It truly was a bizarre combination of his and Gobber's and he wasn't altogether sure how she pulled it off so well.

The cookies were ready several minutes later and they allowed them to cool before taking the extras out to the village, stopping only to put on boots. The frigid air did a good job of cooling the cookies. Several people were standing in a field nearby and Adrianna, gripping Mr. Gobcup to her chest, immediately went to investigate. Afterward, Hiccup would always regret not following her right away.

"...always kind, always courteous. She was one of my best friends and I'm really going to miss her." someone was saying to the group of people.

Hiccup, who had been distracted by the sight of a few kids playing in the slowly melting snow, heard a horribly familiar hiccup and turned toward his daughter. The girl was crying as quietly as she could but there was no masking the hiccups. He immediately bolted over to her as fast as he could.

"What's the matter, Addie?" he whispered, trying not to interrupt the people standing nearby.

"Miss Sigrid died. And they were saying that she was so nice and I never talked to her and now I can't." Adrianna wept, thankfully keeping her voice down. "Why did she have to die?"

Hiccup placed the container of cookies on the ground and took the girl's small hands in his. "Miss Sigrid was very old and very sick. It was time for her to go."

"But why?" Adrianna sniffled, trying to wipe away her tears with the back of her hand.

"I don't know. Nobody knows why." Hiccup reached up and wiped away a few tears with his thumb. "But we have to remember to spend time with the people we love. And appreciate them."

"But her family is so sad now." Adrianna looked over to several crying mourners.

"When someone you love dies, it is sad. But one day, it won't hurt so much. They're going to be okay." Hiccup put his arms around her. "Addie, it's okay. It was time for her to go. She knew it and they knew it. She's in a much better place now."

Adrianna hiccuped a few more times but her tears finally ceased. As much as he hated to see his little girl cry, Hiccup loved that she was compassionate enough to cry for people she didn't even know. Adrianna had always been selfless and kind, even when she was a toddler. There wasn't a mean bone in her body and it was something Hiccup intended to encourage and prayed that she would continue to be this way for the rest of her life. He gently kissed her on the forehead, took her hand, and continued to deliver cookies.

Gobber saw the father and daughter coming from across the village and immediately knew that there were cookies headed his way. He loved cookies. The first few batches of cookies that his almost-grand-niece had made were horrible but she had improved quite a bit and now he couldn't get enough. And he, like everyone else, looked forward to seeing Hiccup and Adrianna interact. It was almost mesmerizing to watch them talk to each other. The amount of love they had for each other seemed to radiate warmth all over the place and it was always nice to be caught in the blast.

Sure enough, they made a beeline for the forge. Adrianna ran up and hugged his leg with one hand while firmly gripping Mr. Gobcup with the other.

"Casual Saturday?" Gobber quipped, taking in their sleepwear.

"Pretty much." Hiccup said, completely unembarrassed.

Gobber looked down at Adrianna. "I see you've still got that dismembered doll of yours."

Adrianna nodded, looking quite proud of herself for keeping a toy this long.

"And what's its name again? Mr... Hic-ber?"

"Noooo!" Adrianna giggled. "Mr. Gobcup!"

"Oh. You see, I wouldn't know that because he doesn't look anything like me." Gobber said, taking one look at the doll's face.

"He's not supposed to. He's Mr. Gobcup." Adrianna reminded him.

"Well he doesn't look much like me or your daddy aside from the missing limbs."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Oh so you just want your beautiful face on there, is that what you're saying?"

Gobber turned to look at Hiccup. "That's _exactly_ what I'm saying!"

Hiccup crossed his arms. "Too bad. My daughter, my choice. Daddy always wins."

Adrianna let loose a giggle and hiccuped loudly. Gobber got on his knees as best he could (he still towered over her but it was at least a little bit easier to look her in the eye that way).

"Your daddy is stubborn. You know that?" he asked the girl.

Adrianna looked up at her daddy, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Yeah, I know."

Hiccup gasped in mock offense. "Thanks a lot, sweetie."

"But you _are_!" Adrianna stuck out her tongue at him.

Hiccup stuck his tongue out at her in response. She giggled. "Well now you're making he feel sad." he said, puckering out his lower lip in mock sadness.

Adrianna, knowing full well that her daddy was kidding, stood up and patted him on the leg. "Don't be sad, daddy. I still love you." Hiccup beamed but she wasn't finished. "Even if you _are_ the stubbornest person in the whole wide world."

Gobber burst out laughing. Hiccup forced himself to keep a straight face. "Well thanks, Addie." he deadpanned, making Gobber laugh even harder.

"That girl is going to be just like you when she's a teenager." he guffawed, wiping tears of mirth out of his eyes.

Hiccup snorted. "Thor help us all." he then turned back to his daughter. "Well I can't let you make fun of me without being punished!"

He lunged forward and attempted to tickle her. She shrieked with laughter and ran away as fast as she could, failing to notice a bucket on the ground. She did, however, notice when she was lying on her stomach in the dirt. Both Hiccup and Gobber continued to laugh as she got back up, a slightly sheepish expression on her face.

"Yep. We're doomed." Gobber sighed. The last thing Berk needed was another Hiccup but it looked like that was _exactly_ what they were getting.

Speaking of being just like Hiccup, Adrianna continued to run away from her laughing daddy. A few seconds later, her foot collided with a clay flowerpot and she sent it flying into the one next to it. _Crash, crash, crash_ went the pots in succession. Hiccup ran forward to try to catch the pots before they hit each other but inadvertently sent one flying with his prosthetic. When it was all over, there was only one unbroken flowerpot left. Adrianna stared at the mess she had made in horror. Hiccup caught her expression and grinned.

"Missed one." he said, kicking over the final flowerpot and shattering it.

Adrianna shrieked with laughter at the spectacle. She loved having a daddy as clumsy as she was. Hiccup ran forward and picked her up, laughing along with her.

"You better get out of here fast. Those were dad's." Snotlout said, leaning in through the forge's window.

"He wouldn't hurt an innocent little girl, would he?" Hiccup asked, genuinely curious now.

"Nope. But he _would_ hurt the man whose genetics made her the way she is." Snotlout said with a smirk.

"What do you say, Addie? Think we should run before Mr. Spitelout comes back?" Hiccup asked his still giggling daughter.

"Uh huh." Adrianna said with a nod.

Hiccup placed her on the ground and grabbed her hand, running as fast as Adrianna could (which wasn't very fast). By the time they got home, they were completely breathless from laughter and the amount of running they had done. Hiccup glanced at his daughter and grinned widely. Her hair was still falling over her face, which was red from laughter. She was hiccuping at an alarming speed (and she probably would hiccup for quite a while later). She collapsed onto her back and stared up into the clouds, not minding that she was going to have a wet back from all of the snow. Enjoying her carefree spirit, Hiccup lay down next to her and they began to look for shapes in the clouds.

* * *

Astrid and Finn returned a little after dark. When they pushed open the front door, they were greeted with a somewhat familiar sight. Hiccup was lying on the couch, looking like he was going to fall asleep any second, and Adrianna was on her knees next to him, her hands in his hair and her tongue sticking out in concentration. Finn stuck his own tongue out in disgust.

"Why do you let her play with your hair?" he asked, looking at the tiny braids his sister have weaved into their daddy's hair.

"It's very therapeutic. You should try it sometime." Hiccup said, smiling and keeping his eyes shut.

"No way! I'm not a _girl_!" Finn shook his head, looking even more disgusted.

"Had a good day?" Astrid asked, taking off her boots and looking relieved to be free of them.

"We sure did. There are some cookies on the table from this afternoon." Hiccup replied, finally opening his eyes and sitting up.

"Just one, Finn. Bedtime is soon." Astrid called to her son, who stopped only to nod at her before continuing to run at the sugary treats. She then sat down next to Hiccup and gave him a questioning look.

Hiccup knew exactly what she was asking. "Just one today." he whispered so that Adrianna couldn't hear.

Astrid sighed but her daughter looked perfectly happy so she supposed it was good news that her one incident hadn't gone very far. She felt a twinge of anger at the person who was responsible for her daughter's condition but quashed it. There was nothing she could do about that. Even so, it seemed so unfair that Adrianna had to suffer like that.

"She's okay now." Hiccup continued, seeing the look on his wife's face.

Astrid nodded. She supposed that things could be so much worse.

* * *

"Nothing to report sir."

A young Viking chief with a horned helmet scowled irritably. "Keep looking." he said in a low tone.

"We've been looking for over a year and we haven't found-"

"I said _keep looking_! She was right about the Skrill. All we need is to prove that she was right about this too." the chief growled.

The soldier sighed deeply. "As you wish." he turned on his heels and left, still feeling like he was on a pointless mission.

The young chief chuckled to himself. They would find something soon, he could feel it. Just one little thing to prove her claim... and then all hell would break loose. This was his best plan yet. There was no stopping him now.


	4. Fearless Flying

Stoick thought that Hiccup and Astrid were excellent parents. The way they dealt with each crisis was phenomenal and they always seemed to surprise him with how well they held it together. But if there was one thing he didn't like about their parenting, it was that they tended to play it safe a little too often. And when they expressly told him not to allow either Finn or Adrianna on a dragon, Stoick merely rolled his eyes and obliged.

At least until the twins' fifth birthday was rapidly approaching. Stoick thought that five years old was perfectly old enough to ride a dragon. Hiccup emphatically disagreed. But he should have thought of this when he dropped off Finn at the chief's house while he spent most of the day at a long meeting and Astrid and Adrianna spent it watching Inga so that Snotlout and Heather could have some time alone. Finn was thrilled to have some time with his Poppy and Stoick wanted him to remember this day for years.

"All right, Finn." he said once Hiccup was out of sight. "What do you know about dragons?"

"Daddy's is a Night Fury and mommy's is a Deadly Nadder." Finn replied. "And I know a bunch of hand signals."

"Well that's very impressive." Stoick got down on his knees. He found that he didn't like towering over these little people as much as he might have when Hiccup was that age. "But do you know anything _else_ about them?"

Finn wasn't sure how to respond to this question. He furrowed his brow and allowed his brain to work overtime trying to answer it. Stoick waited patiently and after a few seconds, the boy brightened up.

"Thornado is a Thunderdrum." Finn said, looking impressed with himself for remembering this fact. "And his voice is really, really loud."

"That's right. But do you know how to ride a dragon?" Stoick continued.

"Umm... daddy says I shouldn't." Finn shook his head.

"Well your daddy is being silly. You're not old enough to ride by yourself but you can certainly go for a ride, long as you're careful!" Stoick picked up the small boy quite suddenly, making him giggle, and led him outside where Thornado was sunbathing.

The Thunderdrum eyed its human's young's young as it cautiously stepped forward. A tiny hand extended toward his snout. Thornado slowly pressed his snout against it, allowing the young to proceed. He heard his human's booming laugh of approval.

"You seem to have gotten the hang of it!" Stoick chuckled, hoisting the boy up and placing him on Thornado's back. "Now just stay close to me and you won't fall off." he mounted the dragon behind his grandson.

Thornado waited for his human and the young to be settled in before taking off into the sky. Finn's mouth opened in excitement as the wind blew in his face and the ground fell away. Soon he was hundreds of feet above Berk, looking down on it and feeling like he was looking at a model his daddy sometimes liked to build. The people were tinier than Fireworms! Even the biggest dragons looked like Terrible Terrors from this height!

"Wow!" Finn exclaimed when his voice returned. "This is so cool!"

"Like it?" Stoick asked, gently nudging the boy.

"Yeah! Can I have my own dragon?"

Stoick laughed and the sound echoed around them. "Not quite yet. Dragons are big creatures and you need to be strong enough to handle them!"

"I have to wait until I get bigger?" Finn scowled for a few seconds and then brightened up. "Can I keep flying with you?"

"What do you think we're doing _now_ , laundry?" Stoick directed the dragon to fly even higher.

Now they were above the clouds. Finn didn't know that clouds were _wet_. Sometimes he saw his mommy or daddy come home slightly damp but he didn't know it was because of the clouds. Not that he minded, of course. If only he could take baths this way! Just lather up and fly into the clouds until all the soap washed off of him... though he supposed that it would be very cold in the winter. He sighed. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

The sun was shining above the clouds. So it did come out every day! The clouds just blocked it! That made so much sense now that he thought about it. There was only one thing that confused him.

"Poppy? Where are the gods?" Finn asked innocently, shocked that he didn't see a single one now that he was so much closer to the top of the sky.

Stoick laughed. "They're a bit higher up, Finn." he said, clapping the small boy on the back.

"Oh." Finn was silent for a moment. "Can we go visit them?"

"I'm afraid not. If you fly too high, it becomes hard to breathe. Just know that they're looking down on us." Stoick continued to chuckle.

"Okay." Finn looked slightly put out but the dip below the clouds, revealing the Berk landscape, soon made him forget his slight disappointment.

It was, however, at this very unfortunate moment that Hiccup left the incredibly boring meeting between councilmen. They'd been talking about some kind of well repair for nearly an hour. He was beginning to understand why his father opted to skip these less important meetings and vowed to do the same when he was chief. Of course now he was tasked with telling his father that he would be needed the next day to... what was that?

A Thunderdrum became visible just below the clouds. The enormous form of his father was clearly visible... _as was the tiny form of his son_! Hiccup ran as fast as he could to a high point where he hoped his father would hear him.

"Dad!" he shouted, putting both hands up to his mouth and not caring that he was making a bit of a spectacle in the middle of the town square. "Dad, what do you think you're doing?"

"Taking my grandson for a flight!" Stoick called as the Thunderdrum descended. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Didn't I _tell_ you not to do that?"

"You might have but I decided not to obey!" Stoick let out a bark of laughter. "What's the harm? He's strapped in!"

Hiccup put his face in his hands and grumbled a few words he was very glad his son couldn't hear. Thornado touched down on the ground next to him and his son immediately slid off.

"Daddy, I went in the clouds!" Finn squealed, hopping up and down and grinning from ear to ear.

"You sure did, buddy!" Hiccup said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Did you like it!"

"Yeah I did! That was _so_ cool! I can't wait to get my dragon!" Finn's eyes were sparkling in the exact same way Astrid's did when she was back from an exciting flight.

"Well... I..." Hiccup looked up at his father, who was beaming at the small boy. "I'm glad you had a good time." he sighed. "I'll take you on Toothless sometime."

"Really?" Finn's mouth opened in a perfect o-shape. "On a Night Fury?"

"Of course on a Night Fury, unless you know another dragon named Toothless!" Hiccup tickled his small son on the sides, causing him to scream with laughter and make a beeline for Stoick, hiding behinds his legs with a giant smile on his face.

"Thanks, dad." Hiccup shrugged. "I guess I'll be taking Addie up in the clouds soon enough. At least before she hears Finn has already gone flying."

"Better do it fast, then. I don't think this little guy is going to keep his mouth shut about it." Stoick got on his knees so he could be slightly closer to his grandson's height.

"Nope!" Finn exclaimed, making both man laugh.

"All right, I better go find out what that meeting was about." Stoick said, ruffling the boy's hair so that it was even messier than before.

"No need. A Whispering Death has punctured a small hole in one of the wells and we're all going to have to go fix it tomorrow morning." Hiccup said, rolling his eyes. "You, Spitelout, Olaf Larson, and I are going to go down and plug it up. Done it a million times before so it shouldn't take too long."

"Ahh well that shouldn't be too bad. All right, Finn, looks like it's time to go home." Stoick said, looking his little grandson in the eye. "But I had a great time with you this morning." he hugged the little boy tightly.

"Bye, Poppy!" Finn said, now taking Hiccup's hand and walking away from his grandfather.

"Goodbye, little man! And keep flying! I think you're going to be a natural." Stoick waved until his son and grandson had disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Little Adrianna was easily overlooked in a crowd. Her tiny stature, several inches shorter than her brother and a lot thinner, made her easy to miss. However if there was one person, other than her parents, who could find her in the village within seconds, it was her Poppy. Ever since her kidnapping and eventual return, he had been the most doting grandfather in the whole world. She'd loved him very much before but she loved him even _more_ now that he happily had tea parties with her or listened to her dragon fairy stories. And sometimes he would tell her stories about her daddy or even himself when he was a little boy. She liked those best of all.

Of course she wasn't entirely certain of why he was doing all this. It wasn't like she wasn't thankful for all the attention. But saving her from a madwoman couldn't be the _only_ reason her Poppy started spending more time with her. It was like he was starting to really enjoy himself. Like he was getting to know her for the first time and liked what he saw.

The girl's musing were quite true. Stoick had always thought Hiccup was a bit soft, even after everything that happened with the dragons, but having such a fragile grandchild had taught him about a different kind of strength. The strength Adrianna had when she forgave him for the most horrible things he had ever done. It was in that moment that he realized that he wanted to spend as much time with the little girl as he possibly could. Even if he didn't understand her like Hiccup or had to deal with flashbacks or crying. He was going to make sure he helped her become the incredible woman she would be one day. And he could already see her confidence boosting.

There was also a change in him because of this tiny child. Well, both Finn and Adrianna had changed him for the better much in the same way Hiccup had shaped his ideals and taught him about kindness and the dangers of prejudice. He had thought that, as an older man now, he wouldn't have much more to learn. But his time with Adrianna had taught him compassion. His time with Finn had taught him how to greatly appreciate the world around him with a sense of childlike wonder. People were commenting on the spring in his step, the way he handled delicate situations even better, and the enthusiasm he had for things that might not have interested him in the past. But Stoick had once been a child, had once been enthusiastic about the outside world.

What he had never been was compassionate.

That evening, Stoick decided, on a whim, that it had been far too long since he had spent some quality time with his granddaughter. He scanned the crowd for the flyaway blonde hair and spotted it within seconds. He still had some mint chocolate cookies from a recent fourth Saturday and they were certainly going to go to waste if he didn't find someone willing to eat them soon. And it was no secret that Adrianna had, quite possibly, the biggest sweet tooth in the archipelago.

"Poppy!" she exclaimed when she caught sight of him, running through the crowd and nearly knocking over little Helga Ingerman.

Stoick immediately reached down and hoisted the girl off the ground. Several people stopped to watch, smiling fondly at the rather unconventional pair. Adrianna looked like a doll in his arms.

"And how is my favorite granddaughter doing today?" he asked, patiently waiting for her to stop giggling.

"Umm... I don't know." Adrianna shrugged.

"I've got some cookies at home and I think there are just too many for me to eat on my own. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who would like them, would you?" he tapped the girl's nose affectionately.

Adrianna opened her arms widely in a rather enthusiastic manner. "Me!" she offered.

"Oh, of course." Stoick said, pretending to be surprised.

He carried the small girl into his house and sat her down on the tallest chair. She was still almost too short to eat at the table. Perhaps he should have saved more of Hiccup's childhood furniture after all. He placed the plate of cookies quite close to her and smiled fondly as she immediately grabbed one, grinning as she took a bite. He was pretty sure even Hiccup hadn't enjoyed sweets _this_ much at that age.

"So did you do anything exciting this week?" he asked her, leaning in so he was at least a little bit closer to her height.

Adrianna furrowed her brows in concentration. "Well... Mr. Gobcup's foot got chipped and I had to take him to Uncle Gobber to get him fixed."

"Oh." Stoick was slightly sad to hear this; he was starting to grow quite fond of that doll. "Was he okay?"

"Uh huh. It didn't hurt because it's not his real foot." Adrianna said as if Stoick hadn't known this to begin with. "But this week was boring. Mommy wanted me to start writing my name." she sighed. "Why is my name so big? Finn's name is easy."

"Well did you know that you're the _only_ person on Berk who has ever been named Adrianna?" Stoick asked. "There have been a lot of Finns but only one Adrianna."

"Really? Why?" his granddaughter asked, stopping her chewing as if she couldn't concentrate on chewing and thinking at the same time.

"Because your daddy made up the name especially for you." Stoick replied. "And that's pretty special, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Adrianna agreed. "But it's still long."

Stoick laughed. "It sure is. But you'll get it. But did you know that there are only five letters in it?"

"No, silly, there are eight letters." Adrianna giggled.

"In the name, yes, but there are only five _different_ letters. A, D, R, I, and N. That's all you have to learn."

Adrianna began to spell her name inside of her head to make sure her Poppy really _was_ correct. She grinned a second later.

"Wow, I didn't know that!" she said, her eyes widening.

"You learn something new every day." Stoick chuckled.

"Really? What did _you_ learn today?" Adrianna asked, now placing her elbows on the table and staring at her Poppy with rapt attention.

"Well today I learned that your daddy wants to take you flying."

Adrianna gasped rather dramatically. _"Really?"_

"He sure does. But don't tell him I said anything. I think he wants it to be a surprise." Stoick winked and the little girl nodded solemnly.

"Anna!" Astrid pushed open Stoick's front door and immediately spotted her tiny daughter. "There you are; I was starting to worry."

"She's perfectly safe." Stoick assured her.

"I know that now. Come on, sweetie, it's time to get home." Astrid picked up the small girl, who was looking at the remaining cookies rather sadly.

"Okay mommy." Adrianna said reluctantly. "I love you, Poppy."

"Love you too, Anna. Good night." Stoick replied.

As Astrid carried Adrianna through the door, the girl gave her grandfather a tiny wave. Stoick, smiling fondly, waved back.


	5. One More Day

Dagur the Deranged was impatient. His Skrill couldn't seem to fly fast enough. Scanning the ground with his eyes, his gaze finally landed upon several ships outside of a small, rocky spit of land.

"That had better be good." he said, hopping off his dragon and strutting forward.

His most trusted soldier held up some black cloth. "We found this half buried in the sand. Is this what we're looking for?"

Dagur snatched the filthy cloth out of the man's hand and inspected it. A smile broke across his features. "Oh yes. This is _exactly_ what we're looking for." he cackled in triumph. "It's true! Oh this is _perfect_!"

"And why did we spend the last year and a half looking for this?" another soldier asked, slightly irritated that what they had found had been so simple, so mundane and not at all what they had expected.

"Because it's proof that what that old Berk woman told us is true. And it's all the proof we need." Dagur was more delighted than he had ever been in his life. He tossed the cloth to his most trusted soldier. "Keep this under armed guard. We need a foolproof plan." he turned to walk away but then remembered something. "Also, get all the laws and maps from the record keeper. We need to make sure this really _will_ hold up."

The soldiers nodded. Dagur mounted the Skrill once more, a gigantic smile on his face. He was impatient but he also wasn't going to take any chances. This was the best idea he'd ever had. Well, he mused, he mustn't take all the credit. The late Trista Haddock had been _very_ valuable.

* * *

Stoick's life was the best it had been in a long time. His relationship with his son was better than ever, his grandchildren made him smile on a daily basis, and the Berkians tended to be more at ease with him. He was happy most of the time, from the moment he awoke from the moment his head hit the pillow.

This morning was no exception. He had always been a morning person, even as a child, and he loved to rise just after the sun began its ascent. He knew that it would be a few hours before everyone was ready to enter the Whispering Death's new tunnel to plug up the well (very muddy work but it got done pretty quickly) so he decided to use this time to work on the new Dragon Book for Hiccup. He was on the last pages and if he took advantage of the extra time, he would have it finished.

The last pages were the trickiest of all. Stoick had spent five years wondering what he would write there because he wanted to leave Hiccup with something that lasted. He decided on writing a bit about each person who contributed to the more accurate information in the book. Hiccup and Fishlegs had the most contributions and drawings but a lot of Bork's notes were still quite relevant. Even the twins, both sets, had contributed a little bit.

He had lost himself in his work so that, by the time he finished the last line, the sun was shining through the windows, reminding him that he did have duties as chief and that he would be wise to get going. He shut the book with a smile, glad that this project was _finally_ over, and wondered, as he got his things together, what his next project would be. If the next one took as long as this one did, he would be in his sixties when he finished. He shook his head as this thought entered his mind. He had no idea where the time had gone. One minute he was a young boy splitting rocks in two with his skull and the next he was a grandfather whose once deep red hair had lightened considerably.

Knowing his son, he thought that it might be a good idea to stop by the other Haddock home to find out if Hiccup had even gotten up yet. Astrid had probably already left for Svala's bridal shower and Adrianna was more likely than any of them to still be in bed.

The older Viking knocked on the door, more as a formality, and was almost surprised to see Hiccup pull it open, looking half asleep as he did so. Stoick was taken slightly aback by his son's appearance. The young man looked like he was about to pass out.

"Well I know you're not a morning person but this is ridiculous." Stoick quipped, stepping in as Hiccup opened the door farther.

"What? Oh... no, I just got up. Finn got sick last night; he seems to have gotten whatever Addie had a few months ago. I just got him down for a nap and I can't leave yet because Lotus isn't here." Hiccup said, collapsing on the couch and looking completely exhausted.

Stoick nodded sympathetically. "Oh. Well I can wait."

"Thanks, dad." Hiccup said with a small smile, stepping back to allow his father to enter.

Stoick walked through the door and took a brief look around. The first thing that caught his eye was the small painted vase with purple flowers in it. As he took in the appearance of his son's home, he noticed dozens of drawings hanging on the walls, clay blobs that were supposed to be a variety of objects, and a second vase, this one with blue flowers. His grandchildren had brightened up the place and added their own style that perhaps he should have adopted way back when it was Hiccup making him little art projects he eventually put in storage.

"Hiccup, listen..." Stoick paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I always put work first when you were a kid and I'm sorry I did that. But looking around... I never noticed how much effort you put into being a father. So much more than I did." the older man smiled at his son. "You really are a great dad. And you'll be a great chief."

Hiccup breathed a laugh. "I won't have to worry about that for a while. One thing at a time."

Stoick chuckled. "Oh, that reminds me: come to the Great Hall this evening. I have something for you."

"If it's a new kind of wine, I'm not interested." Hiccup winked and Stoick, remembering the last time his son had a bit too much to drink, smiled appreciatively.

"You'll like this a lot better." Stoick said with a knowing grin. He faced his son, feeling an odd sensation that he needed to say something important. "I know I don't say this enough but... I'm proud of you, Hiccup. Really proud."

"Thanks, dad." Hiccup spotted Lotus walking up to the house through the window so he stood up and started to saunter to the door.

Father and son looked at each other for a few seconds. Stoick hoped that Hiccup really did believe that he was proud. Hiccup hoped that Stoick would know that he did. Just as Hiccup was about to make what would probably be a sarcastic comment about parenting or chiefing or... anything, really, Lotus turned up at the door.

"Hope I'm not too late." she said breathlessly. "Came as fast as I could. I remember how stressful it was to be stuck with a sick kid and you've got your work cut out for you today. Hello, chief."

"Nice to see you again, Lotus. I guess we can get going." Stoick nodded to Lotus as he and Hiccup walked through the door and into the sunny day outside.

The second the two Haddocks entered the village square, Astrid plowed into them, nearly bouncing off of them and falling backward. She hopped off the ground the moment she hit it but looked rather embarrassed.

"Slow down a bit, Astrid." Stoick guffawed, helping her balance herself.

"I left my gift at home." Astrid sighed. "Honestly, I'm as forgetful as Anna now."

"I wouldn't go that far." Stoick brushed some dirt of of her shoulder. "Are you sure it's a good idea to go to the shower after last night?"

"Yeah, Astrid, you were up a long time with Finn. Thanks, by the way." Hiccup kissed her cheek and she smiled appreciatively.

"You're probably right but I already promised Svala I would go."

"Ah. Well then we won't keep you waiting." Stoick patted her on the back. "I'll see you around."

Astrid waved as she tore off, immediately disappearing in the crowd. Stoick and Hiccup continued until they arrived at the tunnel, where several people were gathered. As simple as this operation was, an irate Whispering Death could be a lot of trouble if it decided to come through its old tunnel. This hadn't happened yet and, truth be told, no one really knew what they would do if it did, but a group of people on the lookout was a good idea nonetheless. Gobber was standing by the tunnel entrance but he looked rather bored without much to do at the moment. As Hiccup walked over to Olaf Larson and Spitelout Jorgenson, who would be going into the tunnel with him, Stoick sat down next to his old friend.

"It's finished." he said by way of a greeting.

"Oh good. So can I have my hammerhead yak attachment back?"

"Not _that_ , the The Dragon Book." Stoick clapped his friend on the back. "Took me five years but it's complete. Everything we know about dragons now. All the drawings and sketches and speculations. We won't be needing a new one for generations."

"Hiccup will be deliriously excited. If only just to read it again." Gobber chortled. "Just in time for the kiddies to learn to read."

"So it is. Thor, how are they almost five already? I'm positive Hiccup didn't age this fast." Stoick leaned back on his hands. "Time flies now."

"Ach, it all comes with getting old. You think you have all the time in the world and then one day you find gray hairs in your mustache." Gobber sighed deeply, thoughtfully stroking his own facial hair. "Some things never change though. Hiccup's still... Hiccup. You never could change a thing about that boy. And I'd be willing to bet Finn's always going to be loud and rambunctious; Thor help us all when he's a teenager. And Anna, well... she'll probably be the next Hiccup to replace him whenever he kicks the bucket."

"Too true. And you'll always find a way to awkwardly bring up skivvies in random conversations." Stoick nudged his friend, who chuckled appreciatively.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Gobber said. "I prefer to think of it as making things interesting."

"Well I can't fault you for that." Stoick replied. "Listen, I'm going to present the Dragon Book to Hiccup in the Great Hall this evening. After that, we should have a drink. We don't do that as often as we should."

"You're right. We've got to start turning it into a habit." Gobber tapped Stoick on the back with his hook. "Looks like they're ready for you. You show that Whispering Death who's boss!"

"Ahh, you just gotta be rough with them and they'll listen." Stoick got up and headed toward the tunnel.

It took only seconds to get the other men together and light the torches. Then it was time to take the slight descent into the depths of the tunnel. Stoick sighed deeply, looking around at his people, safe and sound and happy, thinking that life simply couldn't get any better than this.

"All right, we walk in slowly. If the dragon's still there, we don't want to startle it." Stoick said in a low voice to Hiccup, Spitelout, and Olaf. "Our objective is to plug up the hole in the well, nothing else."

"Got the tools right here." Olaf said helpfully, holding up a rather large toolbox.

"Good. Follow me and keep your torches high up. We need maximum visibility." Stoick instructed as they ventured farther into the tunnel.

There was a sudden rumbling sound from just above them, causing the four men to jump a bit and look up. None of the rocks shifted so Stoick beckoned them forward. As they walked, Hiccup began to feel a bit... off, for the lack of a better word. There was something different about this tunnel but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Maybe it was the consistency of the rocks that surrounded them... no, it looked the same as any of the other tunnels they had explored. So what was it?

 _Mud._ That was what was off. There was no mud in the tunnel. If the Whispering Death had punctured a hole in the well, wouldn't water have flown through it? The rocks and dirt around them were completely dry. Hiccup wasn't an expert but he didn't think that was a good sign.

"Dad," he whispered as he hurried up to his father, "maybe we should bring the dragons."

"If we brought the dragons, we'd plug up the tunnel and be unable to run out if something happens." Stoick hastily whispered back.

Hiccup looked around at the walls, which were far too narrow to allow anything wider than a Whispering Death to fly. Actually... if a Whispering Death had made these tunnels, they would be a lot wider and lower beneath the ground to prevent them from caving in. Something this small could only have been dug by a young Whispering Death who obviously hadn't learned that tunneling too close to the surface could cause the tunnels to collapse...

A second rumble above their heads soon backed up his theory.

"Dad, we should go. The Whispering Death is young and inexperienced and it sounds like it's coming back through." he said frantically, trying to keep his voice low.

Sure enough, they could hear something digging its way through the rocks and dirt. They soon realized that they had only seconds to act.

"Go back!" Stoick suddenly shouted just as several rocks fell from the ceiling of the tunnel.

Hiccup, Olaf, and Spitelout didn't have to be told twice. They ran forward at full speed as the sounds of the Whispering Death came closer and closer. Suddenly, Hiccup heard something burst through the tunnel's wall and slam into him.

"Hiccup!" Stoick voice echoed around him as razor sharp teeth came dangerously close to stabbing his son all the way though.

The Whispering Death's weight suddenly lifted as Stoick tackled it to the ground. Dragon and Viking wrestled fiercely.

"Dad!" Hiccup cried, trying to help him fight off the dragon.

"Get the others out of there!" Stoick commanded.

"But-"

"Go, Hiccup!"

Hiccup paused for a moment, watching his father wrestle with the hostile dragon. He briefly wondered if training it would be an option. And, in fact, it might have been if not for the boulder that fell dangerously close to his head.

"Go!" Stoick repeated.

Hiccup turned to run just as another boulder knocked Olaf Larson to the ground. Before they could help him up, a second and much larger one fell on his legs. Olaf let out a cry of pain as more rocks and boulders fell from the ceiling. Spitelout and Hiccup grabbed him and dragged him out of the mouth of the tunnel just as it completely collapsed on itself.

"DAD!" Hiccup shouted in horror, racing forward and trying to move the rocks out of the way of the entrance.

A hand rested on his shoulder. "Hiccup-"

"We have to go back for him!" Hiccup interrupted. "Dad!"

Aside from Hiccup's desperate cries and the sounds of the rocks he was shifting, there was an agonizing silence. No movement came from the inside of the collapsed tunnel. No voice called for help.

"Come on, help me!" Hiccup yelled to the others, who were standing back in stunned silence. "We've got to get him out of there!"

Gobber removed his hand from Hiccup's shoulder and used it to grab his arm. "Hiccup, stop."

"No!" Hiccup cried. "No, we have to help him!"

"Hiccup-"

"DAD!"

Thornado flew over their heads and landed around where Stoick had been fighting the Whispering Death. After sniffing it, he began to frantically dig. Hiccup continued to try to move rocks out of the way, completely ignoring the others. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Spitelout help Olaf sit on a small hill before racing up.

"Hiccup, stop." he said in a gruff voice.

"No!" Hiccup tried to push him away but he stood firm. "Dad! Can you hear me? Say something!"

This couldn't be happening. Not when things were going so well! Not when Stoick hadn't even started training Hiccup in how to be chief! Hiccup's heart pounded in his head as he dug through the rocks, his hands scraped and bleeding before he felt strong arms around his waist and his body physically yanked from the caved-in tunnel.

"NO!" he bellowed. "LET ME GO! DAD!"

A loud cry interrupted Hiccup's shouts. Thornado's tail was all that was visible from Hiccup's point of view but the massive blue dragon soon flew to the top of the tunnel and let out an earsplitting, heartbroken howl. The men at the cave entrance looked at each other before Spitelout hopped on his dragon and flew to where Thornado had been just seconds ago. The others watched with bated breath.

"Come on, dad." Hiccup muttered, his heart feeling constricted in his chest. "You've got to be okay."

Spitelout went out of sight for only a few seconds but they seemed like an eternity. When he emerged from the collapsed tunnel, he looked at the hopeful faces of the man at its entrance and shook his head.

Hiccup's heart plummeted and everything began to spin in front of his eyes. His knees weakened.

"No..." he muttered, his voice feeling constricted.

It was like a knife had pierced Hiccup's heart. This... this wasn't happening. This couldn't happen...

Gobber, who had been holding him back, gently let him go. Hiccup began to slowly walk backwards, away from the collapsed tunnel, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. Stoick the Vast was one of the strongest Vikings Berk had ever seen. The man who had raised him, who had been there for him when no one else had... that man could _not_ be dead. He wasn't supposed to be dead. He was supposed to die of old age in twenty or thirty years surrounded by his great-grandchildren, not now... _not now..._

Suddenly the full weight of what he had heard crashed onto him so hard, his knees buckled slightly. He was going to have to be chief. He was going to have to break the news to his children... to his daughter whose nightmares had just gone away, who had recently wept at the funeral of a woman she didn't even know... no, he _couldn't_ do this.

He suddenly felt his hip ram into his dragon's scaly head. Toothless made a mournful sound and gently rubbed his upper leg in a comforting manner. Before Hiccup knew what he was doing, he mounted his Night Fury and looked skyward. Toothless kicked off the ground and both felt the wind in their faces as the scene fell away. They could hear garbled shouting, probably for them to come back down, but they ignored it. Toothless knew his human needed to escape.

As for Hiccup, he needed to get as far away from what had just happened as possible. He clutched the metal bar in front of him and urged his dragon farther upward until the two of them were a mere speck in the vast expanse of the cloudy sky.


	6. Goodbye

Hiccup had been absent for most of the day. No one knew where he had gone and when he was finally seen that evening, he didn't offer up the information. He arrived at the Great Hall like his father had wanted. As he walked in, the Vikings present had averted their gaze. All except Gobber, who had jerked his head slightly to invite the young man to sit beside him. Hiccup obliged, feeling rather dead inside.

"He would have wanted to go this way." Gobber said, staring at his mead. "Wouldn't have wanted to grow old and frail. You know that."

Hiccup nodded. Stoick had once made a joke that if he ever went senile, he hoped someone would put him out of his misery. That he would rather it be quick. Well... he had gotten his wish.

Someone placed a tankard of mead in front of Hiccup and, without really thinking about it, he took a sip. It was the first sip of anything with alcohol since the night he had gotten drunk over five years ago. Stoick had helped him stumble home... he'd laughed when Hiccup had told him he looked like a yak. The young man looked around at the Great Hall... everything reminded him of his father. The way his voice had boomed so loudly, anyone could hear it. A table near the corner had been where Stoick had sat him down and told him everything he needed to know about growing up (and a lot of things he _didn't_ need to know, at least not at eight years of age).

"Hiccup... listen, if you need anything..." Gobber continued after a long pause.

"I know. Thank you." Hiccup patted him on the back. "Dad said he... he had something for me?"

"Aye, he did. I'm not sure where he would have put it." Gobber said thoughtfully. He turned to his best friend's son. "There's nothing you or anyone could have done. He saved Spitelout and Olaf. Your father died a hero."

"I'm not ready to talk about this." Hiccup drained the tankard. "I... I need to go home. We have to tell the kids."

"Do you want me to-"

"No, I think... I just want this to be a private thing. I d-don't know how Addie's going to-" Hiccup put a hand up to his face and took a few deep breaths. "I just... I don't know. It's too much to process."

"The service will be tomorrow. About noon." Gobber said, watching Hiccup stand up, still in a bit of a daze.

"Thank you for everything. Really." Hiccup walked back to his dragon, his eyes fixed on the ground ahead of him and ignoring the stares he was receiving.

Toothless had been sitting in a corner, allowing his human some privacy. He didn't know why Hiccup was upset but he knew that it was his job to be supportive and try to cheer him up. Whatever had happened was so big, he knew it was going to be an incredibly difficult task. When Hiccup reached him, he cooed and put his snout up to his human's hand. Hiccup gently rubbed it before mounting him and flying home.

Astrid had come by to quietly tell Lotus what had happened. The two women had stayed with the twins, thankful that no one else had interrupted them. They decided that Adrianna needed to be with her parents when she found out. Lately, Hiccup was the only one who could calm her down. As for Finn, it seemed only logical to wait until nightfall when both of his parents could speak to him.

Hiccup touched down on the soft, earthy path to his house at sunset. Toothless followed him, trying to support his human as best he could. Inside, he could see Astrid and Lotus playing with a cheerful looking Finn. Adrianna wasn't there but Hiccup figured she was probably napping upstairs. The moment Astrid caught sight of his blank expression, her insides seemed to freeze. Hiccup noticed the look of terror on her face and walked up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Hiccup..."

"I made you a promise and I intend to keep it." Hiccup hugged her, burying his face into her shoulder. "I won't do that again. You need me, the kids need me, Berk needs me."

The tears wouldn't come. Since finding out his father had died, Hiccup had felt something in the pit of his stomach but he simply couldn't cry. He wasn't sure if he wanted to but this numbness was greatly appreciated moments later when Finn tugged on Astrid's skirt.

"What's going on, Mommy?" he asked, the frightened gaze returning.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look, both nodding once before sitting their son down. Lotus stood up and walked up to the door, Astrid following close behind.

"Thanks, Mom." Astrid whispered. "See you tomorrow at the service."

Lotus kissed Astrid on the forehead. "I love you." she said, holding the young woman's face in her hands. "I love you _so_ much."

"I love you too, Mom. You know I do." Astrid said, wiping her mother's tears with her thumb.

Lotus sniffled and nodded, quietly shutting the door behind her. As Astrid walked back to the couch, Finn looked at both of his parents, gripped with fear at what he was about to hear. He knew it was big. They were acting like they had when Adrianna had gone missing. Even after she had gotten home. They always acted like this when _very_ bad things happened.

Astrid put a hand on his knee. "Finn..." she sighed. How could she explain this to a little boy? He shouldn't have to deal with this.

Hiccup took her hand and squeezed it before turning to his little son. "Poppy died this morning when the tunnel he was in collapsed."

Finn's mouth opened in shock. "But... he's coming back, right?"

"No, sweetie." Astrid wiped a few tears away with the back of her hand. "No, he's not."

Finn shook his head. His Poppy was a big strong man. Big strong men didn't die. Only old, frail men and women died. They were the only ones who died on Berk... weren't they? His lower lip trembled but he fought the tears back. He couldn't cry. His mommy was already crying. He had to be strong for her, tell her that it was going to be okay.

Hiccup sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "I know you're probably feeling a lot of things right now, buddy. And that's okay. But you don't need to hold them back."

After a few seconds, Finn looked at his mother, who was still wiping away her tears. He then looked at his father, who looked so... so lost. Like he was in the middle of the woods and didn't know how to get home. The boy shook his head.

"I want to go upstairs and play now." he said to his clasped hands on his lap.

Hiccup patted him on the back. "Okay. Let us know if you need to talk to someone."

Finn nodded and scampered off to his room. Hiccup and Astrid were silent until they heard his bedroom door shut.

"Do you think he understood?" Astrid asked, not quite able to look at her husband.

"No. I think we're going to have to make sure we're there for when... when he does." Hiccup shook his head and looked into Astrid's eyes. "How are we going to tell Addie?"

Astrid shook her head, looking almost fearful. There was simply no way to tell their daughter what had happened without distressing her. A whole year and a half's worth of progress was likely to be completely undone that night. Adrianna was already so fragile and to put this burden on her was too much... Hiccup was beginning to feel angry. After everything she had gone through, why did this have to happen? Why was she going to have to suffer more? Didn't she deserve a break? He loved her so much it ached. The pain she was about to feel... he could hardly bear it. He was a grown man and he was hardly holding it together but she was an innocent little girl. Except she wasn't so innocent anymore. That angered him the most.

It had probably been about twenty minutes of absolute silence in the Haddock home before Adrianna woke up and descended the stairs but it felt like seconds. Time always passes when you're dreading something and the sight of their daughter, ignorant of the pain she was about to feel, was agonizing. Hiccup sat on the couch and beckoned her over, allowing her to sit on his lap. Astrid sat down next to them and the girl gasped when she saw her mother's face.

"Mommy, don't cry." she said, immediately going to work wiping away Astrid's tears. "Why are you crying?"

Astrid took her daughter's hand, lowering it so that she couldn't wipe away any more tears. Adrianna's deep green eyes seemed to pierce her the way Hiccup's often would. Two pairs of eyes were now focused on her. She squeezed the girl's hand.

"This morning, a tunnel collapsed. Your Poppy was there and he got everyone out but he... he couldn't..." Astrid took a deep breath and looked her daughter straight in the eye. "Poppy died, Anna."

Adrianna shook her head, wrenching her hand out of her mother's grip. She turned to her daddy, the strongest man in the world, and could see the truth in his eyes. He wasn't crying but she knew sadness when she saw it. She saw it in her daddy's eyes whenever she had a nightmare. She saw it in Poppy's eyes when he talked about her grandmother. She saw it all around her... but she never thought she would see it like this. It wasn't just sadness... it was brokenness. Her daddy was in pain. Her mommy was in pain. And her Poppy...

Her Poppy wasn't coming back.

The reality crashed over her like a wave in the ocean, destroying whatever shoddy barriers she had put together to protect herself. Poppy was dead... there would be no more tea parties. No more bone-crushing hugs. No more booming laughter that sometimes made her ears hurt in the most wonderful way... it was over. She felt like her heart was being squeezed and before she knew it, a hiccup escaped her throat. Her daddy put his arms around her and she felt her entire body explode with misery.

"No..." she whimpered. "No..."

Hiccup and Astrid had been expecting tears. Screaming. Heaving sobs. They had known it was coming. But it was worse than they could possibly imagine. The howls of misery erupting from her lungs were so horrible, so agonizing that it seemed like the entire world had to go silent for them to exist. Hiccup gripped her tightly, feeling every heartbeat, every hiccup, every ragged breath that escaped from his precious little girl... and he felt completely helpless. He couldn't make this any better. He couldn't bring her Poppy back to her. He couldn't mend her broken heart. All he could do was hold her as she sobbed, feeling like the most horrible person in the world.

It was a long time before Adrianna's cries died down. She was clutching her father's shirt, breathing heavily, her energy spent. Astrid hid her face, unable to contain her sobs. Only Hiccup's eyes remained dry. The pains he felt increased and he dearly wanted to cry with them... but he couldn't. It was like a vicious animal was clawing at his insides; the agony was too much to handle but he couldn't release it. Instead, he continued to hold his sniffling, hiccuping little girl, reminding himself that a miserable Addie was better than no Addie at all. As painful as this had been, there was a time in the past in which he would have done anything to have her in his arms, even if she was sobbing like this. He couldn't be completely angry. And that fact was by far the most frustrating.

After several minutes of silence, punctuated by the occasional sniffle or hiccup, Astrid gently put a hand on her daughter's back.

"You... we should go to bed." Yet again, those words tumbled out of her mouth, making her feel completely useless. There wasn't a thing she could say that would make this better.

"We should." Hiccup replied, scooting forward so he could stand up.

Adrianna squeaked and shook her head. Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look and knew what had to happen next if she had any chance of feeling better.

"Addie, do you want to sleep in our bed tonight?" Hiccup whispered to her, still holding her tight.

His little daughter nodded. Hiccup kept her in his arms as he stood up, holding her with both arms to support her. He wasn't sure if he would be getting any sleep that night but having his little girl in his arms might help. At the very least, he would be certain that she was safe. Astrid went to Finn's room to tuck him in as Hiccup gently lay Adrianna down on the bed.

"Daddy?" Adrianna whispered in a shaking voice as Hiccup stood up to take some clean sleepwear out of a drawer. "Please don't die."

Hiccup dropped the shirt he was holding and scurried over to the bed once more. His daughter looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes. He got down on his knees and met her gaze.

"I am going to try very, very hard to stay alive for you, baby." he told her, wiping away a few tears that had fallen in her fear. "But I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

Adrianna didn't look convinced. And, as Hiccup stood back up and left the room with the sleepwear so he could change in private, he thought that it was completely unfair that she and Finn should have to deal with something like this at all, let alone at this young age. Unbeknownst to him, Astrid was thinking the same thing as she kissed her son goodnight.

* * *

No one slept well that night. Finn tossed and turned because he didn't understand why his parents had said that he couldn't see his Poppy again. Adrianna was frequently awakened by steadily more horrifying nightmares that made her scream and covered her with sweat. Hiccup and Astrid were kept awake but Adrianna's cries. The couple had a strong feeling that she would be joining them each night for a long time.

When the sun had finally risen and Adrianna had fallen asleep once more, Hiccup slipped out of bed and took some clean clothes to the girl's room. As he got dressed, he looked around at the butterflies on the walls. The boarded up window. His daughter's small bedroom was so innocent, girlish, childlike. It had been the place Adrianna had faced her worst fears and had her most frightening nightmares. If he had known she would suffer this much before her fifth birthday, he would have spent every moment hugging her tightly and begging the gods to show his beautiful, innocent child mercy.

But, more than the feeling of frustration he had about being unable to protect his daughter from life's biggest tragedies, he was angry that now his little boy was going to have to face this. They had worked _so_ hard to protect him from pain like this. Adrianna's innocence was compromised but Finn's wasn't. And now both his children had to face one of the harshest realities they could possibly face in life. It simply wasn't fair. Hadn't they suffered enough?

His clothes were on and he had the urge to go out and see if they had recovered his father's body. They may have done it the day before. Hiccup had no idea what was going on, not anymore. He didn't want to know. Yet he _needed_ to know. Needed proof that his father was truly gone.

He arrived at the Great Hall once more. Were he unable to see, he might have thought it was empty. The silence was ringing in his ears as he stepped forward, his prosthetic making a noise every other step. It echoed in the still silence.

Stoick's body had been recovered. It had been laid at the farthest end of the room. Berkians were flocking to the Hall to pay their last respects. Hiccup spotted Gobber standing near the body at around the same time Gobber spotted him. Almost like he was in a daze, Berk's new chief stepped forward to say his last goodbye to its former chief.

Stoick the Vast might have been sleeping. His eyes were shut and were it not for the dull gray tinge of his skin, Hiccup might not have known he was gone at all. There were cuts and bruises on his face but Hiccup had seen much worse. He placed a hand on one of his father's arm. It was devoid of any of its usual warmth. This was the arm that had cradled him when he was a newborn, that had cradled his children when _they_ were newborns. The arm that wrapped around him when he needed comfort as a child. The arm that still had light scars from battles long ago. And it was _cold_.

A warm hand rested on his shoulder. Hiccup jerked his head sideways and spotted Gobber in his peripheral vision.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I'm okay."

"No you're not. Blast it, Hiccup, you're killing us. You've lost your father and you haven't shed a tear." Gobber said, rubbing the young man's shoulder. "Come on, one tear to show that you're in there. Just one."

"I can't." Hiccup looked back at his father's body. "They won't come. Not when Astrid told me. Not when we told Finn or Addie. Not now." he shook his head, shutting his eyes tightly. "I can't. It isn't that I won't. But I'm here."

"No you're-"

"I can't afford to go out again. Berk can't, my family can't. I'm here... maybe not in the way you would want but I'm _here_." he blinked, begging for the burning sensation behind his eyes but felt nothing. "I wish I could... could show that emotion. But I can't."

Gobber was silent for a few minutes, staring at the body of the closest friend he had ever had. And then he sighed and looked back at Hiccup.

"They said it was instantaneous. He probably didn't feel any pain." he said, his hand squeezing his former apprentice's shoulder. "Exactly how he would have wanted to go."

Hiccup nearly smiled. His mouth turned upward the tiniest bit. "I would have thought he would have wanted to die in battle."

"Stoick the Vast? Die at the hand of an enemy?"

Hiccup shook his head. "True, true."

"He saved our lives." a gravely voice behind them made them turn around and face its owner. Spitelout looked the saddest they had ever seen him, his eyes fixed on the body of their former chief. "Healer says Olaf will probably never walk again but he's alive. As are you and I because of your father."

Snotlout, who was standing just behind his father, didn't make eye contact with Hiccup. The new chief thanked Spitelout for the information and tried to silently relay to Snotlout that he harbored no hard feelings or ill will toward him. Stoick's death wasn't anyone's fault. It would have happened eventually. He wasn't a young man, though not as old as some of the Elders. People died younger than him all the time. But it was different when it was someone this important.

The rest of the morning was a blur. People were shoving food and small gifts into his hands, offering their condolences. Hiccup greatly appreciated this. His family would be well fed for at least a week, probably longer. But the words seemed oddly hollow. It wasn't that they didn't mean what they said, Hiccup knew that they did. They all knew Stoick, had been very fond of him. But they didn't know him like Hiccup and his family knew him. The man who had led Berk into successful battles and had once been a fierce dragon killer had been so much more than that. So few people saw that side of him, the side that allowed a tiny girl to weave flowers into his beard... the side that had told his son stories while cleaning his wounds so that he wouldn't notice the pain... the side that had long ago caused him to look at his wife with such adoration and love... no one saw that. And it was better that way. Stoick was more than just a tough, strong Viking. He had been a rock on whom to lean in times of crisis. He had been a loyal friend. He had been a wise leader. He had been an affectionate grandfather. And perhaps that legacy was enough.

By the afternoon, the body was fully covered with a sheet and placed in a wooden ship. All of Berk met outside as Gobber pushed it out to sea. For a few minutes, they watched as the ship slowly sailed away.

Hiccup dipped the tip of an arrow into a small fire that had been lit a few minutes ago. Behind him, he could see others doing the same. He stared out at the sea, his father's ship bobbing farther and farther away. He knew the time was now. The time to send his father off as every Viking hero should be sent off. But the thought of letting go, of saying a final goodbye to the man he had known all twenty nine years of his life, it was too much for his brain to process. Though his eyes remained dry, the pain on his insides seemed to intensify, to claw at his heart and cloud his head with more memories than he even knew it contained. The flame in his arrow seemed to contain his father's proud face just before Hiccup had gone up against the Red Death. He saw Stoick cradling one newborn in each arm, beaming with happiness. There seemed to be infinite images flashing through his head and in front of his eyes before he became aware of warm hands resting atop his own. Astrid's sapphire eyes finally broke through the swarm and Hiccup felt his hand let go of the arrow. It soared in an arc above the water before landing directly on the ship, igniting it instantly. The shy turned to fire as dragons and humans alike paid their last respects to their chief of over thirty years. It was over. Their great leader had fallen. And before he was truly ready to let go of the memories, the ship finally sank in a haze of smoke and ash.

Hiccup turned back to his people, his trembling hands clasped behind his back. Astrid stood beside him, looking out over hundreds of Vikings who now looked up to Hiccup as their leader. The official ceremony would be later but everyone knew that Hiccup had become chief the moment Stoick's heart had stopped beating.

The new chief cleared his throat. "My father was a great man." Hiccup said clearly in the very tone his father had taught him to use when addressing large crowds. "And as he often said, great leaders aren't born, they're made. But I like to think that he was both a born leader and a learned one." he felt a small surge of confidence, which caused him to raise his head a fraction of an inch and speak more clearly. "As a child, I looked up to his muscles and strength, to his legacy as the great dragon killer he was at the time. As a teenager, I looked up to him as a great leader who facilitated the necessary changes, even though he had no idea how it would turn out. As an adult, I looked up to him as an adviser who taught me what I needed to know about leadership and about being a good father to my own children." he glanced over at his stony faced son and silently crying daughter. "I can't promise I'll be as good a chief to you as my father was. He and I certainly were never the same person and it wouldn't be fair to tell you to expect the same of me as you did of him. But I can promise that I will try to be as great, as brave, and as selfless as he was. It's going to be a difficult journey and I ask only for your patience and your support." Several villagers nodded at these words, many still wiping tears from their eyes. "I'm going to fight for Berk until my last breath if need be because this is my home, _our_ home. And you all are my people, all equals and all deserving of a voice in the community. I will do my best to listen and to lead as my father would want." Hiccup paused to look over at Astrid, whose now tearless face shone with admiration for her husband. "Thank you so much for coming out here. My family and I really appreciate it." Hiccup nodded to indicate that the service was over.

The Haddocks stayed near the dock to talk to those who still wished to offer condolences as the villagers finally left the service. Hiccup was barely aware that anyone was around. Adrianna had rushed forward the moment he had ended the service and now gripped his hand tightly. Astrid put an arm around his waist. Finn sat down on a small bench, his eyes glazed over and his face completely devoid of emotion. By the time most of the Berkians had left, it was late in the afternoon. The Haddocks and Gobber followed a small procession of Stoick's closest friends as they hauled a stone to the cemetery to serve as a reminder of Stoick's life. It brought Hiccup some small amount of comfort to think that his parents were now reunited in Valhalla.

As the men carefully dug a hole in the earth deep enough to admit the stone, Hiccup remained standing. He felt like he needed to watch this. To stay until it was all over. Astrid finally took the twins away as the stone was finally mounted in the dirt

The men were gone. It was just Hiccup and Gobber now. They were silent for a long time, so long that the sun was beginning to set when they finally spoke.

"I guess this is it." Hiccup said in monotone.

"Yes." Gobber patted him on the back. "You'll make a good chief."

Hiccup nodded. "He always believed in me. I guess... I guess it's time to find out if he was right in doing so."

His eyes still refused to burn. It was like there was a ball of emotion deep within him that wouldn't come out, that forced his face to remain expressionless while his insides screamed in agony. Hiccup knew that the emotions would bubble to the surface. They always did eventually. But now it was more than he could take. It made him want to reach into his body and take them out so that, for just a few seconds, he would be free.

Instead he felt like he needed to say something. Last words. A goodbye. He didn't know if his father could even hear him. He hoped that he could.

Berk's newest chief stepped forward and dropped to his knees in front of the brand new stone that bore Stoick's name and other meaningless details. He placed a trembling hand on it.

"I don't know how I'm going to get through this. But I'm going to do everything I can to still be the man you were so proud of." he whispered in a slightly shaking voice. "Goodbye dad."

And with that, he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his knees before walking home, almost in a daze. Toothless met him on the edge of the cemetery, his head low almost like he was paying his respects. Hiccup gently stroked him as they walked back to what was now the only Haddock house. The dragon cooed in a comforting sort of way.

"We'll get through this, bud." Hiccup told him. "You and me, we've been through a lot. We can get through this too."

Toothless looked up at his human. The young man looked lost and even a bit frightened. And, though Hiccup couldn't possibly know it, the Night Fury promised himself that he would do just about anything to make his human happy once more.


	7. The Last Gift

The next few days passed very quickly. The official ceremony naming Hiccup as chief was a lot more somber than it should have been. So many Berkians had expected Stoick to merely retire and pass on the chieftainship himself. Without him, it seemed a lot less cheerful, less happy an occasion.

The moment Hiccup was named chief, his life was filled with boring meetings, mindless decisions, and a surprising amount of breaking up fights. Due to his experience running the Academy, he was fairly good at conflict resolution and management but it was still quite frustrating and felt like a waste of time.

He left for his duties early in the morning while Finn and Astrid were eating breakfast and returned late at night as Astrid was tucking Adrianna in to bed. Throughout the day, he sought out his family but was only able to spend a few minutes with them at a time. He didn't know how his father had time to raise him, seeing as Stoick had been made chief before Hiccup was born, but he resolved to find some way to make it manageable.

Before Hiccup knew it, a whole week had passed since Stoick had died. He had made no plans for the twins' fifth birthday (which was getting alarmingly close) and had barely been able to find time for his family. He had performed eight marriages, three funerals, and four welcoming ceremonies. He had stopped a very drunk Hooligan from attempting to lead a rebellion, saved Edgar from falling off a cliff, and had put out a few fires in the Great Hall's tapestries. How Stoick had kept up with all crises without going insane was a mystery.

But the worst moment by far had been nearly two weeks after Stoick's death. Hiccup was trapped in a very long and boring meeting with the council. Astrid woke Adrianna earlier than she would have liked that morning and walked her down to the Ingermans thinking that a play date with Helga would lift her spirits. It was summer at last but this day in particular was sweltering. When she turned to walk back to her house, she half considered taking Finn swimming.

The sun's noonday rays glared down on Berk, heating Astrid's hair so much that her neck felt slick in sweat. As she walked toward the cool sanctuary of her home she was half tempted to take her signature braid down and tie her hair into a high bun. She felt much older when she attempted such a hair style and it felt so much different, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

She lifted her braid off her neck as her feet hit the wooden planks of the bridge leading to her home. A small red head on her front porch caught her attention when it suddenly lifted and then slowly lowered to his knees again. Finn was sitting on the porch. She didn't know when he had plopped himself there, but it had to have been about half an hour ago. He had done the same thing last Thursday. She and Hiccup had talked about it last week, concerned and wondering why their little man spent his entire day, and only one day, sitting on the porch staring at the wooden bridge.

Finn was completely alert as he always was. His keen blue eyes still picked up on the butterfly fluttering past him or his Uncle Snotlout flying overhead on Hookfang. He clearly heard the man call a short stiff greeting to Astrid when she finished crossing the bridge. Finn was acting completely normal. This wasn't like Adrianna's type of flashback when she wasn't entirely there; he was definitely fine. He was choosing to sit on the porch all day today, just as he had last Thursday. Astrid sighed as she approached her son. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Finn?"

Finn's head stayed lowered on his knees in a pout but his eyes lifted, giving her the saddest look she had ever seen on him. She saw Hiccup in that look and it pained her heart. She squatted in front of him and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "What's wrong sweetie? Why are you sitting on the porch all day? You should go play while it is still light out."

Finn looked down at his shoes, his finger smashing ants as they crawled by, and he shrugged. Astrid considered the ants scrambling for cover as their comrades met their demise at her little boy's pudgy digits before she looked back at him. He looked so… forlorn.

"Finn, tell me what's wrong. Please? You can tell me."

Finn breathed a sigh and shrugged again. "I'm just bored."

"Why?"

"Mommy, I'm just bored!" Finn cried indignantly. He was so like his father, so like a stubborn mule when he didn't want to do something. Then again, so was she. She couldn't honestly blame him for being stubborn when it literally ran through his blood.

"Okay." Astrid replied calmly. She thought for a moment. "How about we go to the village? It's hot, but I think we can find something cooling to do. Want to go for a swim?"

Finn considered this before bobbing his head resolutely. She smiled, stood and stuck out her hand, which he gladly accepted. Mother and son walked back across the bridge at a steady pace and strode into the village. People greeted them as they walked by, Finn still a little confused by people's knowing glances when they looked at him these days. It was like he was suddenly more popular now. People always smiled at him and said hello, which was treatment usually reserved for his sister. People had always said hello to him before, but now they seemed to treat him with more… importance. He didn't understand why.

"Mommy?" he looked up at Astrid.

"Yes?"

"Why do people talk to me special now?"

Astrid halted in her steps, slightly confused. She thought for a minute as she searched his gaze to catch his meaning. Then she understood. Now that Hiccup was chief, the villagers took into account that Finn was next in line to be chief. He was the next heir of the tribe. And even at four years old, he wasn't ignorant of that future hope… and responsibility.

The mother crouched in front of him and smiled. "Well," She began, choosing her words carefully. "Now that daddy is chief now, the next person to become chief after him is you, Finn. And people are excited."

Finn's eyes widened. "When?"

"When? Oh! Not for a long time, baby." Astrid fervently prayed this was true.

Finn slumped in relief at that revelation. Then his face screwed in thought. "Why did daddy have to become chief?"

Astrid's mouth dried. "Because… Poppy died. And he was our leader. Now daddy has to be our leader."

Finn's downcast expression told her that she probably should not have brought up his grandfather… but she couldn't have answered that question without doing so. Maybe she should have let it go, changed the conversation. But it was too late now.

She smiled a tiny bit and rested her hands on his arms. "Finn, it's okay. Daddy is going to be a great chief and you will be chief one day too. But that is a _long_ time away."

"It's Thursday." Finn interrupted, looking at the ground by his boots.

Astrid blinked. "What?"

"Today is Thursday." Finn repeated in a short, almost bitter tone. "I always do stuff with Poppy on Thursdays. And… and he never came."

Astrid's heart constricted. That was why Finn had spent the last Thursday sitting on the porch all day, same as today. She, Hiccup and Adrianna performed their usual routines for the day while Finn would stay home and sit on the porch until Stoick would pick him up. They would do everything together on Thursdays—hunt, fish, help villagers, even fly now that Hiccup had finally relented. But now those days were over… and Astrid knew that Finn was finally realizing it.

His mommy's stunned silence only confirmed it. "Poppy's not coming back. Is he?"

His wide blue eyes burned through her soul and she didn't know what to do. She wished Hiccup was here, but he wasn't. He was in a council meeting. _She_ had to do this. She swallowed thickly and quietly replied, "No."

She didn't know what she expected. She had hoped he would cry, fall into her arms while she thought up something wise, important and mostly empty to say. But she didn't expect him to step away with an angry expression growing on his face.

"Finn?" Astrid reached her arms out, but he turned and ran away into the village. "Finn!" She stood and raced after her son, who was getting faster and faster by the day. She could hear him panting ahead of her as he ran, even whimpering something as he did. What was it…

"Poppy… Poppy…" Astrid's heart nearly tore within her. He couldn't be looking for Stoick! He couldn't be! He wouldn't find him… he was gone. And her little precious baby boy just wouldn't accept it.

"Finn! Come here!" she called, trying to catch him. He ran around a curve leading into the village square when she finally managed to grab his arm.

"No! Let go!" Finn twisted out of her grasp and glared at her. She did and he stomped his foot in anger. "I'm trying to find Poppy!" A few people stopped and stared in shock at his angry shout.

"Finn…" Astrid lowered herself to her knees, trying to reign him in, ignoring the sympathetic looks. "Baby, come here…"

"No! I wanna find Poppy!" Finn yelled.

Astrid nabbed his arms and held him there. "Baby, you won't find him. I'm… I'm sorry…" She gasped, trying to not choke up, almost pleading with him to understand. Why? Why did she have to do this? Why should anyone have to do this? "Poppy isn't here, Finn."

Finn's face began to redden and had she been on her feet and not her knees, she would have stepped back in fear. She had never seen him so livid. "Don't lie! Don't lie to me! Poppy is here! I'll find him!"

"Finn please…" Astrid whispered when he turned out of her grasp, tears nearly falling.

Her little boy stopped at the center of the square, turning in all directions. "Poppy! POPPY!"

The villagers stopped in their tasks either to gasp or gape at the boy or pause in silence at the horrid calls of the little boy… no one had the heart to stop him. Many tried to continue on their way or finish their tasks, but Finn's desperate voice only cut through their attempts.

"POPPY!"

Near the edge of the village, Hiccup stopped mid-sentence in the middle of his meeting with council members. They were talking about new designs for the catapults that would make them last longer when he heard it: the agonized voice of his little boy calling for his Poppy… who was gone.

He knew it was coming. Finn had to understand soon, he couldn't continue thinking Stoick was still alive. He just didn't understand at his age that death happened; it was only natural for him not to get it. But he would understand at some point. The agonized shouts coming from his little boy's mouth seemed to put holes through his heart.

Hiccup stared at the village for a few moments, Finn's shouts sounding again and again, growing more desperate with each call. He dry swallowed and faced the council again, looking back down at the plans. He wanted so badly to run to his son, he needed to be there for this… but he had responsibilities here. He didn't want to put work over family, especially at a time like this, but they had already been lenient with him for Adrianna. He needed to stay focused.

"I figured we could dissemble the catapults this coming weekend and rebuild them with new models within the next-"

"Hiccup." Gobber interrupted calmly.

He looked up at his friend with raised eyebrows. Horst, a councilman and good friend of his father's shook his head lightly, compassionately. "Your son needs you, chief. Go to him."

A blank second ticked by before he smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Thank you." He all but turned and leaped off the entire platform, charging into the village in search of his child. He could hear Finn shouting somewhere to someone, if only he could find him faster. He wished he had Toothless with him but the Night Fury always took cover in cold shady places on extremely hot days such as this.

Hiccup rounded the corner leading to the village square and stopped in his tracks. Finn stood in the center of the square, Astrid holding his arms down and saying something to him. He could tell she was trying so hard not to cry, trying so hard to be calm, gentle to her child.

Finn yanked out of her grasp and shouted, "WHY! Why did Poppy have to die! I want to do more stuff with him! It's not fair!" His son's face was bright red, making his blue eyes stand out even more than usual. He stamped his feet, threw his arms down at his hips in such an angry disposition not formerly seen before.

"Baby, we don't know why things happen but they just do. Poppy loved you, don't be upset-"

"It's not fair! Poppy was the only one who did what I like to do! We always did stuff together! I didn't get to say bye to him! He died!"

Hiccup's heart nearly broke as he walked toward them. The villagers scurried through their tasks, eager to give the family (minus Adrianna) some privacy. Finn gave more indignant, angry shouts before turning away to see his father. His eyes widened in fear, remembering that temper tantrums were cause for discipline. He watched Hiccup, waiting for him to make a move.

Hiccup recognized this and slowly squatted to the ground five feet in front of his son. He slowly held out his arms. "Come here, Finn." Finn didn't move and Hiccup smiled a little. "It's okay buddy, you're not in trouble. I just want to talk to you."

Finn angrily shook his head. "Why did Poppy die?"

"Finn…" Hiccup started, but his son cut him off.

"NO! WHY!" Finn stomped his foot.

Hiccup was at a loss for words. He didn't understand the answer to that himself, how could he possibly give an acceptable answer to his son who so badly needed to know? "Buddy, everyone has a time to die. You, me, Uncle Gobber, Toothless… Poppy. Everyone." he gently explained, hoping this was the right thing to say.

"It's not fair!" Finn shouted.

Hiccup nodded. "I know-"

"He should be here!" Hiccup nodded again. "He was supposed to teach me about dragons and hunting and fighting with swords and fun stuff but he died instead! He wanted to die more than do stuff here!"

Hiccup shook his head, noticing Astrid crawling closer behind Finn. "No no, buddy. Poppy didn't-"

"POPPY DID! POPPY DIED AND I HATE HIM!" Finn shouted angrily to the sky, stomping his feet. "Is _everyone_ going to die now? Are _you_ going to die just like Poppy? And mommy and Anna?"

Things were snowballing too fast. "Finn-" Hiccup shortened the five foot gap to two as Astrid was able to rest her hands back on her son's shoulders.

Finn shook her hands off. "Go away! I don't wanna talk to you! I wanna talk to Poppy!"

"Finn, please…" Hiccup whispered. "You can't talk to Poppy…"

Finn reached up and hit his father on the arm, startling both parents. The blow actually hurt a bit; the boy was strong for his age. Finn's eyes widened in shock at what he did. He _hit_ his daddy. That was… that was _very_ bad. He was just so... so _angry_! He stared into Hiccup's eyes for a moment, which only relayed shock and sadness. He didn't look angry in the least bit. Finn's eyes began to burn and he blinked.

"Why?" he asked, his forehead creasing. "Why did Poppy have to die?"

"Finn…" Hiccup whispered and reached out his arms. This time Finn allowed himself to be pulled in for a tight hug, which Astrid quickly joined by wrapping her arms around them both.

"Why, daddy? Why Poppy? _Why_?" Finn finally sobbed, tears soaking into his father's tunic.

Hiccup brushed his hand through his son's bright red hair and kissed his temple. "I don't know, buddy. Even mommies and daddies don't know the answer to that sometimes. But I do know one thing," he gently pulled Finn off his shoulder to look him in the eye. "Your Poppy loved you. He loved you so much and he wanted so badly to teach you everything that he could while he was here. He would have loved to teach you more and spend more time with you and Addie." Hiccup gently shook his head with a tiny smile. "Don't be mad at Poppy. Remember the days you spent with him. Don't forget him. You will make him proud one day, I just know it."

Finn sniffed, wiping his right eye with his sleeve. "Just like you?"

Hiccup and Astrid smiled, the latter also wiping her eyes. "Yeah, just like me."

Finn looked down at his shoes and sniffed again. "I'm sorry I hit you, daddy."

Hiccup breathed a laugh and pulled his boy in for another hug. "You're not in trouble, Finn. Sometimes it is okay to hit things." he said gently. "Just make sure you don't hit people next time."

Astrid pushed her face into Hiccup's chest where Finn's face was and kissed his cheek. Finn sat up and hugged her tightly. He wiped his eyes with his free hand and said, "I love you mommy."

"I love you too, Finn." Astrid whispered, holding him tighter to her chest.

Finn smiled a crooked smile because of his tears and looked at Hiccup. "I love you too, daddy."

Hiccup smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "I love you too, Finnster."

"Ah! Daaaaad…" Finn whined, trying to fix his disheveled hair. The parents laughed, though Astrid took note that Hiccup's was less joyful than she would've liked. She knew he wasn't holding back; rather Finn was not the only one who had yet to fully understand what had happening. And she knew it was only a matter of time before Hiccup's resolve finally broke.

* * *

After Finn's outburst, Hiccup had informed the council and other members of the tribe that he would be taking the subsequent day off to go through his father's things and spend time with his family. Ordinarily this would not have been allowed but, as most of the village had seen the incident with Finn, no one had the heart to stop him.

The next morning, Hiccup used his children's excited gabbing to Lotus and Gobber about dragons and sword fights as a distraction from walking up the hill to his old house. Astrid held his hand tightly in hers, knowing that he was in fact dreading walking through the house. His face still held that blank emotionless look, but she had a feeling (and a secret hope) that this would crumble his resolve. It was a necessary thing that needed to happen soon. It was two weeks after Stoick's death and he still hadn't cried.

The couple walked up the wooden steps and paused in front of the door. Hiccup tried to tune out his children's conversation and focus on the here and now, what he was about to do, but something held him back. A sudden fear gripped him, preventing him from opening the door. But then a light squeeze from Astrid's hand broke the spell and he pushed the heavy oak door open.

Hiccup paused just inside the door, taking in the familiar look and smell of his childhood home. The stone furnace at the hearth, the wooden staircase leading up to his old loft bedroom, the old ornate shields and weapons hanging on the walls—all of it spoke of familiarity. The only thing it lacked was the tall, vast form of his father sitting in his chair on the other side of the room.

The spell was broken when Adrianna suddenly screamed, making him whip around but a grin was on her face as she fled into the house. Finn was on her heels with a frog in his clutches. "Finn, don't you put that in her shirt like last time."

"I won't!" he yelled over his shoulder to his dad as the kids tromped up the stairs, heedless of the racket they created.

The four adults stood silently before Gobber sighed heavily. "Well, let's see what we can find." Lotus joined him as he hobbled across the room toward some bookshelves. Astrid kissed her husband's cheek before walking toward the kitchen area to peruse through Stoick's remaining food and cooking items.

Hiccup looked around dumbly, taking note of the layer of dust covering everything in sight. It bothered him, but that pit in his stomach remained unmoved. Even after two weeks, he still felt nothing. Moving to a trunk on the far side of the room, he wondered if something was wrong with him. He opened the trunk, his thoughts again running rampant of the possibility that he had lost something when he got the news of his father's death. Surely he should have cried by now right? Even better, he should be at least _feeling_ something by this point.

His thoughts tapered off when he came across a thick leather bound book lying underneath a few extra tunics. He lifted the book and opened the first few pages curiously, surprised to find… dried poppies. He was confused for a few moments, wondering if maybe they were his mother's... but then he smiled a bit, remembering the first time Stoick had been dubbed "Poppy". He couldn't believe such a big strong man would save the flowers his nearly one-year-old granddaughter had woven in to his beard all those years ago. He placed the book by the door, thinking that Adrianna would want to keep it. She had looked so proud of handiwork when Stoick had dropped the twins off. The man had looked completely ridiculous with poppies all over his beard but it hadn't mattered to the tiny girl with whom he was so enamored.

He looked upstairs to his old bedroom, which was now filled with the sounds of his children running around and making a lot of racket. Stoick had moved into it when Hiccup had gotten married. Thornado occasionally slept in it but he wasn't there now. In fact, the Thunderdrum hadn't been seen since the funeral.

Thinking that he would need to break up an inevitable fight between his children, he walked up the stairs, the others at his heels. Finn had finally let the frog go and was watching Adrianna hop onto the bed to get away from it. He looked thoroughly pleased with himself. Astrid stepped forward and caught the frog, taking it downstairs to let it go. Finn looked slightly peeved at first but soon decided it wasn't worth fighting.

"All right, you two, calm down." Hiccup said, a tiny smile on his face. He walked up to the bed and lifted Adrianna from it. "Addie, would you go see if Poppy left anything in the closet that we might want to take home?"

The girl nodded and trotted over to the closet, Finn following closely. Now that the children were distracted, Hiccup got on his knees next to a nightstand and pulled open a drawer. He vaguely heard Astrid come back into the room and go over to a pile of fish bones near the door, no doubt left over from Thornado's most recent late night snack.

"Oh... here it is." Gobber said from the other side of the room. "Should have figured he'd hide it here." Hiccup turned around to find Gobber extract a large book from a dresser drawer. "Right with the clean skivvies. I guess he did take my advice after all."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at this implication but decided he really didn't want to know. Astrid turned to look at the book and her eyes widened. She had only seen it once before, had completely forgotten about that day... but there it was. What was once an empty book cover was now filled with papers carefully bound together. The cover of the book was black with silver lettering. Stoick had even painstakingly painted the sides of the book silver so that when it was closed, it shined and stood out from the other books. She had no idea he would be this thorough. No wonder it had taken five years.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked after a few moments of silence. "I've never seen that book before."

"That's because he hid it from you. Wanted it to be a surprise." Gobber said, still staring at the book in his hand, impressed with its intricate detail. "Finished it the morning he died. I don't even know how long he was working on it."

"Five years." Astrid supplied. "I saw it a few days after he started. He told me to keep it a secret and I was pregnant and distracted so I just... forgot."

Hiccup wasn't paying very much attention to anything anyone was saying. He had his eyes fixed on the book. The last gift he would ever receive from his father. He didn't even know what it was yet but his heart was pounding. It was like Stoick was reaching out beyond the grave, giving him one thing to remember him by, something completely irreplaceable that he had spent five years of his life creating just for him. When that book was begun, Hiccup hadn't known he was the father of twins. While Stoick was working on it, Hiccup had been busy with diapers and runny noses and tears and... and he'd barely made time for his father. And the whole time, Stoick had never let on that he was working on it, never said a word.

He shook his head. He didn't want to accept it. If he touched it, Stoick would really, _truly_ be dead. These would be his final words. What if they didn't mean anything? What if they left him feeling worse than he already felt? He couldn't take that chance.

Lotus sensed something and immediately walked across the room to where Finn and Adrianna were watching with mild interest, the closet's contents forgotten. "Come on, you two. Let's go look around downstairs." she said, helping both children up and gripping their hands.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Gobber stepped forward. "He wanted you to have it, Hiccup. He was looking forward to giving it to you."

Hiccup sat down on the bed and shook his head. "I can't." he said. The ball of emotion deep within stirred slightly. "I... I can't."

Gobber hobbled forward and placed the book into Astrid's hands. She sat down next to her husband, stroking his back as gently as she could. She then placed the book on her lap so that Hiccup could read its cover. The sharp intake of breath informed her that he had.

"A new one?" he whispered, reaching with trembling hands to slide the book onto his lap. "Dad... he made a new one?"

He hadn't known what he had expected but it wasn't this. But now that it was in front of him, he couldn't think of anything else it could possibly have been. Stoick had seen him scribbling notes into the old one, watched him cross out inaccurate information and squeeze in corrections. It was time for a completely updated Dragon Book and Stoick had taken it upon himself to write it for him.

Curiosity got the better of him as he slowly opened the book. There was a forward about Bork's initial work... about how Hiccup had changed the way Vikings viewed dragons forever. He smiled slightly at his father's description of him. Impetuous, stubborn, utterly brilliant but also completely mad. But, at the same time, imaginative and kindhearted. Was that how Stoick had seen him? Mad? Hiccup shook his head, the smile widening. Yes, he supposed, his father probably did think he was a bit mad. But he had loved that about him. And he had thought he was brilliant? He had never said it...

He flipped through a few pages, reading the incredibly thorough, updated information about each dragon. Even the ones Hiccup and his friends had discovered after the first Dragon Book had been written. The Typhoomerang entry was slightly sparser when it came to details but it had every fact they knew and... Hiccup blinked a few times just to make sure he was reading correctly... and it had comments that _he_ had made about it. Little asides about its attributes, even sarcastic jokes he'd made while dealing with them. He flipped through the rest of the book and found it filled with his own words, comments he'd completely forgotten that he'd made. The entry on the Night Fury even had a quote from Adrianna when she had been helping her Poppy bathe Toothless one day. And the entry on the Thunderdrum had a quote from Finn the day he'd met Thornado. The page on the Deadly Nadder was filled with Astrid comments. It was like Stoick had written down everything he and the others had ever said about each dragon and put them in as little asides and jokes, making the book much more interesting. He had even included space for additional comments for each dragon _and_ blank pages at the end just in case they ever found a previously undiscovered breed or class.

As he skimmed over some of the last pages, the words became very blurry. He felt like the emotional ball in his stomach had burst. Everything was flowing upward, causing his eyes to burn more painfully than ever before. He quickly shut the book, not wanting to smudge any ink, just as a tear finally made its way out of his eye. Astrid tightened her arm around him and placed her other hand on his arm. Tears streamed down his face.

"H-he was proud." Hiccup whispered shakily, his whole body trembling. "He was r-really p-proud."

His back hunched over and he finally slid to his knees on the floor, his shoulders heaving with sobs that he was finally able to release. He clutched the Dragon Book in both hands, hugging it to his chest. How he wanted to hold his father one more time, to thank him for everything, to tell him how much he loved him and how much he had meant.

But he couldn't. All he could do was hold the Dragon Book and let out every little thing he had felt. His face was wet with his tears but they continued to pour out of his eyes like a waterfall, dripping onto his lap. Astrid got down on her knees next to him and put her arms around him. He felt another hand on his back and knew that Gobber was doing his best to comfort him even though there really wasn't much anyone could do. He heard a coo and felt Toothless gently brush against his back. But nothing could make him stop now that he had started. His heart was pounding against his ribs... it felt like it had been squeezed tight over the last two weeks but it was finally loosening up as he let out everything he had been feeling.

"Dad." he whimpered, his knuckles growing white, his shoulders getting tired from the heaving sobs he couldn't stop. "Dad... dad... I'm sorry."

Astrid knew there was nothing she could do. Her husband had only cried this hard once before and she had been powerless then too. All she could think to do was to hold him as tightly as she could and hope that the tears would run out eventually. While he had been screaming and sobbing loudly the first time he had broken down like this, he didn't do that this time. His crying was silent. Somehow, it was even more heartbreaking to hear him hold back the howls of misery she knew must be stirring within him. But she knew he was doing it for the children downstairs. Even in his anguish, he was putting them first.

Of course, Adrianna always had a sixth sense about her father. And she felt something in the pit of her stomach a few minutes after she had gone downstairs. The feeling spread until she couldn't ignore it anymore. She waited for Lotus' back to turn before sneaking back upstairs so she could make sure her father was okay.

She heard the sniffling halfway up the stairs and quickened her footsteps. If someone was crying, she needed to comfort them. She reached up and opened her Poppy's bedroom door. Her parents' and Gobber's backs were to her. Her daddy was hunched over, sniffling quietly, and she knew that it was he who needed her most. She tiptoed forward and was slightly alarmed by the sight of his face. Bright red, tears raining onto his lap... his sobs were nearly inaudible but she could tell they were coming from him.

"Daddy?" she said in a soft voice, wringing her hands in front of her.

He looked up at her, his bright green eyes looking brighter than ever in contrast to the whites of his eyes' bloodshot appearance. It was almost like they were glowing. She fell to her knees in front of him and threw her arms around his shoulders. If he was going to cry, he needed someone to cry on, needed something other than his own lap to catch his tears. She could now feel droplets of water on her back, trickling downward through her shirt, but she tightened her hold on him and let him cry. She knew that wiping away his tears would be ineffective. And, though she didn't know how, she also knew that he _needed_ to cry. As much as she hated seeing it, she wasn't going to stop it.

Hiccup was so thankful for his daughter's small gesture. She didn't shed a tear as she held him, almost like she had decided it was his turn to be miserable and her turn to comfort him. The thought made him cry harder, overwhelmed with emotion at the loss of his father, the stress of being chief, the love of his family... he couldn't take it anymore. He didn't think he would ever stop crying now, not with everything crashing down around him. There was so much to do. So much stress and frustration. So many moments he would miss. So much he wanted to tell his father that he couldn't...

But even through his anguish, he felt relieved. The ball of emotion in his stomach had finally gone away. He could feel again, cry again... maybe even laugh again. It wouldn't be today but it would happen eventually.

His grieving wasn't even close to over; he knew he wasn't okay... but he _would_ be.


	8. The Choice

The sun's rays were just beginning to peek out over the horizon as several ships decked in Skrill designs arrived on the far side of Berk. An actual Skrill, its rider grinning maniacally, touched down on the beach and watched as his soldiers secured their boats.

"What exactly do you need us to do?" asked a soldier, turning to face Dagur as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Stay out of sight for now." Dagur replied, pulling out a black cloth from his belt. "And hand me the maps and law books. I need to double check."

"We've been double checking all week, don't you think-"

"I _think_ you need to get me those law books and maps. We have got to make sure there is not a single loophole. The Hooligans will be looking for any way out. This isn't just a couple of kids, these are the grandchildren of the chief. Now give me those law books." Dagur glared at several of his men before they reluctantly handed over the books. "And the map. You're positive we found it on _this_ island?" he asked, pointing to a circled island on the map. "Any farther east and it's not on our territory so you have to be certain it was _this_ island and not another one."

"We've gone over this-"

"Well we're going over it again." Dagur snapped. "If we do one thing wrong, everyone in the archipelago will be, at the very least, not happy about having their time wasted."

"Why are you so certain that they won't all vote to declare war on us?" asked a soldier near the ships.

"It's a risk for sure but no one will want to spill the blood of their citizens over two little brats no matter whose kids they are." Dagur said, his eyes still scanning the law books.

A different soldier stepped up. "Why do you _want_ them? The boy I can understand but the girl-"

"It's not so much that I _want_ them. I want Hiccup to suffer for everything he's put me through, put _us_ through." Dagur smiled; a few gaps in his teeth were noticeable on the right side of his mouth. "You saw the fuss he raised when he thought we'd taken the girl. Imagine the fuss when we take them both and there's nothing he can do about it."

* * *

The door to the master bedroom flung open and the pitter patter of two small feet flooded the room. Finn leaped onto the bed by his parents' and sister's feet, jumping on top of Astrid and shouting, "Good moooorning! Daddy! Wake up!"

"Mmm no…" Hiccup moaned, burying his face farther into his pillow.

Astrid sat up on her arm with a smile, watching as Finn climbed over and pushed his father's hair away from his ear. "WAKE UP DADDY!"

"Oww Finn…" Hiccup whined but sat up. He twisted halfway around, unable to flip over due to Adrianna lying dangerously close to his back. He yawned and stretched, willing himself to wake up. He shook his head around, his bed hair flopping in all directions.

Adrianna giggled sleepily. "Daddy, you need a haircut."

Hiccup gave her a small lopsided smile. "No I don't. Daddies don't get haircuts."

"But you have so much! See?" The little girl pushed her hands into his hair and lifted handfuls of his dark hair off his head.

Hiccup smiled wider, which didn't reach his eyes. "Yep, I have lots of hair. But not as much as your mommy. You should see her hair when it is out of her braid."

"I know; I have seen it." Adrianna conceded. "It's okay to have lots of hair if you are a girl. But you aren't a girl."

"Oh, I am glad for that revelation. I wasn't sure for a minute there." Hiccup laid back on his pillow, smiling a little when Astrid whacked his arm with her hand.

"Daddy, do you have to chief today?" Finn asked from Astrid's lap. His eyes were fixed on a hairpin in his chubby fingers, its ends he pulled apart in fascination.

Hiccup breathed a laugh. "No, I don't chief today. I get to stay home with my family aaaaall day."

"Yaaaaaaay!" Finn shouted at the top of his lungs, raising his hands to the ceiling as he rejoiced.

Hiccup grinned and sat up, holding Adrianna in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and made eye contact with his wife. He had decided to take an additional day off since the previous one had been marred by the bittersweet memories the family had faced while going through Stoick's things. He was almost thinking about simply taking every day off until the twins' fifth birthday, which was now three days away. He knew it probably wouldn't be wise but Horst could handle the chief's duties for a few days, couldn't he? Better him than Gobber, that was for sure. Erick's sister still was legally named Magnus no matter how many times the Larsons had tried to change it.

Finn and Adrianna seemed to have decided to honor Stoick's memory by making the most out of their lives while they still had them. Adrianna still had frequent nightmares, which was why she was still sleeping in her parents' room, but Finn's delayed grief had caused him to be a bit unpredictable since he had finally accepted what had happened. Most of the time he was back to normal but once in a while, he seemed angry and irritable for no real reason. Not this morning, however. This morning he seemed positively ecstatic.

"What are we gonna do, daddy?" he asked, smiling widely and hopping off the bed.

"Well I was thinking we could go to a council meeting together." Hiccup grinned at the look of horror on his son's face. " _Or_ we could go on a picnic."

"I think we should go on a picnic." Adrianna said thoughtfully, attempting to smooth out her wild hair. "Meetings are boring."

Hiccup ruffled her hair, effectively ruining her minimal progress at taming it. "Yeah I think so too. I just thought that if the council saw your big, sad eyes, they wouldn't make me go to so many of them."

Astrid pitched her pillow at her husband, whacking him on the arm. He merely rolled his eyes and threw it back at her. Finn and Adrianna exchanged looked. Grown-ups were so _weird_.

"If we're going out for a picnic, we should probably get the food ready now." said Astrid, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "Anna, you should get to work on that hair. You don't want to scare people away."

"My hair's not _that_ bad." Adrianna protested, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Nah, it's cute." Hiccup affectionately tugged on a few strands. "You know, in that scary kind of way."

Adrianna frowned and immediately ran into her room so she could fix her hair in front of a mirror. Astrid chuckled and followed, figuring that one of them had to take mercy on the girl and Hiccup was too busy poking fun at her.

Picnic preparations didn't take long. Hiccup and Astrid packed the most basic ingredients into a basket and grabbed a spare blanket out of a closet. Their daughter's hair was now neatly brushed, her headband in place. It had taken a while to wrestle Finn into a different shirt (if it were up to him, he would wear the same shirt every day) but the family was finally ready to face the village.

Since Stoick's death, the people in the tribe were more likely to go out of their way to wave to the Haddocks as they passed by. Adrianna loved to wave back and sometimes compliment each person she came across but this seemed to annoy Finn quite a bit. He seemed to take each greeting as almost insulting. They were only being nice because now his daddy was chief and, in the distant future, _he_ would take over. He didn't want to be reminded of that every day. He scowled and kept his eyes on the ground.

"Let's pick up some fresh bread before heading out to a field, okay?" Hiccup said to his family, who all nodded in agreement.

Finn shuffled his feet as he walked into the bakery. He was usually excited by the sweet smells around him but today, like every other day since Stoick died, he was feeling irritable. He barely noticed Olaf Larson who, since the cave-in, had been reassigned to the bakery. Paralysis had put an early end to his construction days but the man's skills as a baker were excellent. Adrianna had spotted Erick, who was helping his father by kneading bread, and excitedly joined in. Snotlout and Heather were waiting for an order and Hiccup and Astrid decided to talk to them while they waited. Olaf quickly placed the bread in the oven and noticed Finn in the corner of the bakery, a scowl still on his face.

"Someone's grumpy." the cheerful man said, wheeling over to the boy with a smile. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing." Finn muttered, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Doesn't look like nothing." Olaf said, leaning forward and trying to meet the boy's gaze. "Is something bothering you?"

Finn met the man's gaze at last. Olaf's eyes were a very calming brown and the boy felt his defenses lowering. He bit his lip and looked down for a few seconds.

"I wish everyone would stop being extra nice to me." he mumbled, staring down at his boots. "And I wish daddy wasn't chief."

He had expected the man to be outraged that the chief's son had made such a statement but Olaf barely blinked. With a gentle smile, he reached forward and placed his fingers on the boy's chin, lifting it so they were facing each other.

"Well you don't have to be embarrassed about that. I lot of us wish your dad didn't have to be chief right now." he said slowly. "Why do you wish it were the case?"

"He's always busy. And everyone acts all funny around me and I don't like it." Finn sighed deeply and averted his gaze.

"Well now, that's a lot of feelings." Olaf patiently waited for the boy to face him again. "And let me tell you something else: feelings are never wrong. It's what you do with them that can be right or wrong. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Finn nodded. "Daddy said that once."

"And he's right." Olaf leaned back in the wheeled chair. "You know, I don't much like not being able to walk. And not just because it's tough to wheel around instead of walking. But because everyone always treats me funny too."

Finn looked over at Erick, who was laughing at something Adrianna had said. Except his face looked a bit like Hiccup's did now. The smiles and the laughter never quite reached his eyes. Even Adrianna seemed to have noticed this because she gripped his hand much tighter than usual. She looked sad that she couldn't make her best friend truly happy. Finn turned back to Olaf, who was raising his eyebrows slightly.

"My dad died a year before Erick was born." Olaf continued, almost like there hadn't been a pause at all. "And after that, everyone avoided me for a while. And when they didn't, they were always extra nice. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I hated it." Olaf chuckled. "I hated it _so_ much because I wanted everyone to just act normally around me. So I could get used to everything. And after a while, they did."

Finn stared at Olaf for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Is that going to happen to me too?"

"Maybe not now. But it will. One day everyone will get used to your grandfather being gone, your dad being chief, and me in this chair. But you have to give it some time. Things are tough now but they're not always going to be tough." Olaf patted Finn on the shoulder. "I wish I could talk a bit longer but if I do, you're going to have burned bread on your picnic!"

Finn smiled as he watched the man wheel back to take the bread out of the oven. He handed some of it to Snotlout and Heather and the rest to Hiccup and Astrid, who thanked and paid him. The boy couldn't help but notice that even his Uncle Snotlout was being more friendly and polite than usual. Olaf was right. Grown-ups were always right about things like this. Maybe everything would be normal again after all.

The Haddocks smiled fondly as Erick shrieked indignantly when Adrianna suddenly poured some flour down his shirt. He giggled a moment later and grabbed a handful of the white powder, pelting it at his friend. It hit her on the shoulder and before anyone could stop them they were running around the bakery trying to find out who could turn the other whiter.

"If you're going to play with flour, take it outside." Olaf said in a surprisingly calm manner. Hiccup supposed that raising five children had that effect on him.

Erick nodded and ran outside, Adrianna at his heels. Hiccup turned back to look at Snotlout when a loud horn sounded. Everyone in the bakery was still for a moment, all wondering why they were hearing the sound of the emergency horn, when they suddenly heard a bloodcurdling scream. Hiccup felt his heart drop into his stomach. He knew that scream far too well.

"Addie!" he cried, taking off toward the village square, the others at his heels and the cooling bread forgotten.

It was obvious why the horns had been sounded the second they arrived. Dagur the Deranged was strutting into the center of the square almost like he owned the place. His large fist was grasping the back of Erick's shirt, lifting the boy off the ground. Olaf cried out in anger at the sight of the brutality against his son. But Hiccup was focused on Adrianna, who was far too close to the Berserkers for comfort, her whole body frozen in fear. He couldn't blame her for being frightened; there was a rather dense crowd of Berserkers behind their chief, all staring down at her with horrible smiles.

"I'm looking for the chief!" Dagur called as several villagers ran for cover, convinced that they were under attack. "Where is Stoick the Vast?"

No one answered the question. Gustav emerged from just behind Hiccup and lunged for Dagur but Snotlout and Gobber, who had just arrived, grabbed his arms and held him back.

"Get your hands off my brother!" he cried, struggling against the men.

"Gladly." Dagur chuckled, sending chills down Hiccup's spine. "Once you get me the chief."

There was no denying Stoick's absence a moment longer. Hiccup stepped forward, praying that he looked confident.

"I'm the chief now." he said in a hopefully commanding voice. "Now put him down."

Dagur stared at Hiccup for a few seconds before he relinquished the boy. Erick immediately ran to Adrianna, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back behind Astrid and Finn. Hiccup continued to stare at Dagur, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the prolonged eye contact. Finally Dagur burst out laughing, the sound echoing around them in the silence.

"So you took my advice at last!" he chortled, his face contorted with mirth. "About time you grew some-"

"What do you want?" Hiccup interrupted, glaring at his adversary and noting, with a small amount of satisfaction, the gaps in his teeth.

"All I want is to take what is rightfully mine." Dagur said, shaking his head and pulling out a bit of parchment from his pocket and holding it up.

Hiccup and Gobber inched forward and peered at it. On it was a map of the archipelago, carefully labeled with each island and the territories belonging to the tribes. A tiny island on the outskirts of the Berserker territory was circled several times.

"Recognize it?" Dagur asked, stepping forward with an unpleasant gleam in his eye.

"I don't know what you're talking about. But if you're trying to sell it, we don't want it." Hiccup said calmly.

"Oh I wouldn't sell this island for all the money in the world. Perhaps what we found there will refresh your memory." Dagur reached into another pocket and withdrew some folded black cloth. But, instead of at Hiccup, he threw it at Astrid, who picked it up curiously. "I admit it has probably been a long time since you've seen it. But I'm sure you recognize it."

Astrid picked up the cloth and unfolded it. It was foul smelling and covered in sand; it obviously hadn't been washed in... she gasped as she realized what it was.

"Hiccup..." she breathed, color draining from her face.

Her husband turned to look at her... and his jaw dropped. Astrid was holding up a pair of black pants with a very wide waist. He vaguely remembered watching her strip them off as she leaned against a boulder, mere minutes before giving birth to the twins on an unfamiliar island... a _Berserker_ island. Hiccup began to silently pray to every god he knew of that Dagur didn't know what this meant. But the look of delight on his adversary's face told him all he needed to know.

"I've got plenty of witnesses who will testify that we found those on our territory." Dagur continued. "Meaning that your children belong to _me_."

"They're _my_ children and they belong to _me_." Hiccup snarled, beginning to tremble with rage. "Now you had better get back on your ships and go home because you're not taking them."

"Oh I think we are." Dagur chortled gleefully, reaching back and taking a book from one of his soldiers. He opened it to a marked page. "Our tribes have had these laws in place for three hundred years. You wouldn't want to contradict them."

As Hiccup read the words on the page, his heart seemed to freeze. Written in faded ink was the most horrible thing he could possibly read: _every member of the archipelago is a citizen of the tribe of their birthplace._

For a moment, all was silent as Hiccup and Gobber read and reread the words on the page. There were no loopholes, no excuses, no arguments they could make. This was a law established hundreds of years ago and there was nothing they could do about it. All was silent except the faint noises of Hiccup's heavy breathing, his brain working overtime to try and think of a way to get around this, to save his children from whatever fate the Berserkers had planned for them.

"They're not going." he said in a shaky voice, stepping back and putting out his hands to shield them. "They're staying here."

"I think you'll find that the law is on _my_ side." Dagur stepped forward, causing Hiccup to take another step backwards. "This will be much easier for everyone if you just hand them over."

"Law or no law, you're not taking them." Gobber snarled, stepping in front of the twins to protect them some more.

But Dagur kept his eyes focused on Hiccup, a horrible smile twisting his features. "You know, you shouldn't worry too much about it. All this fuss about producing an heir is so tiring, I'm sure your son would make a fantastic Berserker chief with the right training." he said, looking down at the small boy who was scooped up by Astrid seconds later.

"I told you, you're not-"

"And the girl..." Dagur continued, turning his cold gaze on the smallest Haddock, who shuddered and hugged her father's leg. "She's not much use to _me_." he leaned in so that only those standing closest to him could hear what he said. "But some of my men have certain... _needs_. And she'll satisfy those needs quite admirably. I believe she'll make a wonderful _toy_ for them to play with."

All the color drained from Hiccup's face. Astrid gripped her axe, dearly wanting to chop the man in half, and Gobber growled furiously. Adrianna, who didn't understand why the grown-ups had acted this way, tightened her hold on her father's leg.

"Over my dead body." her father hissed, reaching down and picking her up, holding her so tightly that she could barely breathe.

Dagur let out a cackle and stepped back, his guffaws echoing in a way that made Adrianna shiver. "That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"You had better get off of Berk _now_ before we throw you out." Astrid said in a low voice, her grip on her axe tightening.

"See I thought you might react this way." Dagur took a step back. "That's why I came fully armed." the soldiers withdrew weapons of all kinds, leaning forward as if eagerly anticipating a battle. The chief whistled and the Skrill suddenly emerged from just out of sight, letting out a roar and glowing with electricity. "It's up to you, Hiccup. You can hold onto your little brats and let my soldiers and my dragon decimate your village and slaughter a good number of your people _or_ you can hand them over and let us go on our merry way. _Your choice_."


	9. The Vote

The entire world went silent. Hiccup clutched his daughter, feeling her rapid heartbeat against his chest, breathing in the flowery scent of her hair... Adrianna was _his_ little girl. Finn was _his_ little boy. But the village was his as well. It wouldn't be right to put his children ahead of hundreds of Vikings who would surely be killed. Berk's army didn't come close to rivaling Dagur's. The only reason the Berserkers had never declared war was because Berk truly didn't have anything they wanted. There had been no point.

But now the law was on their side. They didn't have to fight to take control of what they wanted. In fact, if the Hooligans backed down, the Berserkers could slaughter the Haddocks with little to no opposition.

At least... if the Haddocks didn't relinquish their children. The only way for everyone to live was to give up the gods' greatest gifts. Hiccup caught sight of one of Dagur's men staring at Adrianna with a hungry look in his eyes. The young father shuddered and held her closer. _No one_ was going to take away his children. At least not while he had anything to say about it.

"We're not letting them go." he said in a soft voice so that only Dagur and the soldiers closest to him could hear. "You'll have to kill us."

"I was hoping for a bit more _fun_." Dagur chortled. "But this is too easy." he turned to the guard standing closest to him. "Freystein, is it considered suicide if you let someone kill you?"

The man called Freystein smiled widely, drawing a sword and staring pointedly at Adrianna. But before any of the Berserkers could go in for the kill, Gobber stepped in front of the Haddocks.

"We'd like to invoke article 32. Berk is on emergency lock down." he said calmly. "Now get off our land."

Dagur rolled his eyes. "You're grasping at straws."

But Hiccup knew exactly which law to which Gobber was referring. There _was_ a loophole, however small. He snatched the law book out of Dagur's hands and immediately read the law out loud.

"In the event of a crisis within a tribal boundary, the chief can proclaim a "state of emergency" actuating a lock-down upon the entire tribe and any temporary residents. A state of emergency entitles the tribe protection from outside influence, in whatever form, for three days unless the scenario concerns the chief personally (whether by sickness, disability or absence). Any violation is considered an act of war. Climacteric circumstances that warrant a state of emergency solely include deleterious conduct, epidemic, missing person, and/or hostage."

"None of which applies!" Dagur snarled.

"It applies in hostage situations." he told them, turning slightly to block Adrianna's line of vision. "And we're definitely taking our children hostage."

"You're just stalling. The law is only effective for three days, after which we're free to come and take what's rightfully ours." Dagur shook his head but the scowl on his face made it evident that he wasn't pleased with this turn of events.

"If you want to go by the book on this one, Dagur, you're going to have to get off Berk or you're inciting war." Astrid said, stepping forward with her fingers around her axe.

Dagur glared at the Haddocks for a few seconds before motioning for his men to stand down. "Three days. And then we'll be back." he snarled, turning on his heel and walking away, his army following and looking very disappointed.

For a few moments after the Berserkers were out of sight, the entire village was silent. Hiccup clutched his daughter, sighing with relief. Astrid held onto Finn, who looked outraged at the very idea of being taken from his parents. Then a loud thumping noise made everyone jump and look at Gobber, who was hobbling forward into the center of the town square.

"The entire council will meet in the Great Hall immediately." he announced. "All others should go about their business as usual."

The people in the council silently stood up and made their way to the Great Hall. Lotus, however, made a beeline to the Haddocks.

"You go." she said, gently taking Finn from Astrid's arms. "I'll take care of the kids."

Adrianna, finally able to speak again, looked at her father with wide eyes. "Is that man going to take us away?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"No." Hiccup replied, kissing her on the forehead and praying that his empty words would somehow be true. "I won't let him. You're staying here."

"I don't want to go." she continued. "Please don't let him take me."

"I won't. I promise." Hiccup said, looking directly into her eyes. "But now you need to go with your Nana. Your mommy and I have to meet with the council to make sure you stay here."

Adrianna faltered for a moment. Her daddy was the strongest man in the world and she would surely be safer with him. But the look of fear in his eyes made her blood run cold. If her daddy was scared, this was serious. And she knew that the only thing she could do was to obey. She slowly nodded and allowed him to place her on the ground. He immediately turned toward the Great Hall and took off as fast as he could. As she watched him go, she decided that if her daddy really _was_ scared, she was going to have to be brave for him.

* * *

It took far too long for the entire council, twenty members in all, to settle down. Hiccup tapped his remaining foot impatiently, growling in frustration.

Gobber finally slammed his prosthetic mallet onto a table. "Quiet down! Now!"

The crowd silenced instantly, all eyes turning to their young chief and his wife.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "We need a majority ruling to declare war on the Berserkers. They're not taking the twins. All those in favor of declaring war, raise your right hand."

He looked around the room, expecting to see hands flying up in eagerness but saw almost none. Only Olaf, Fishlegs, Astrid, and Gobber raised their hands. His heart sank.

"I said all those in favor-"

"We heard you." Snotlout snapped. "And we _don't_ want to declare war."

Hiccup was breathless for a moment. This _couldn't_ be happening.

"All those opposed?" he asked, praying for a miracle.

Hands flew up all over the Hall. Fifteen hands in all. Hiccup's heart seemed to stop beating completely. He blinked and swallowed thickly, breathing slowly and deeply to remain calm and hear his people's arguments.

"Okay. Why?" That didn't sound too harsh did it? Though crossing his arms at the same time probably didn't help much.

"Think about it." Snotlout snarled, standing up and locking eyes with the chief. "The Berserkers have thousands of soldiers. They have more soldiers than we have citizens. We'll be massacred. Our kids will be slaughtered. I'm not sitting back and letting that happen."

There was a murmur of assent from the other council members.

"How many times did we defeat Dagur with five dragons and six teens?" Hiccup fired back. "We could do it-"

"No we couldn't!" Snotlout shouted. "We sneaked up on them, we didn't engage the army. Hel, Tuffnut even pretended to _be_ a Berserker. None of those tactics could work, not while they're running through our village killing our people!"

"We have over one hundred dragons right now! If we set up a barrier by the cliffs and the port and attack long before they begin to port, we could hurt them significantly! Notice I've already got a plan."

"And if one of our people is killed? That blood will be on _your_ hands. You're putting your kids ahead of every single person here, ahead of _our_ kids!" Snotlout shot back. "I will not sit back and let some disgusting Berserker kill my wife or my daughter! Not on my watch!"

"So force me to hand my children over to Dagur? That's what you are telling me?" Toothless growled lowly beside Hiccup as he shouted back. The chief distractedly set a hand on his nose, but his agitation didn't let up, so neither did the dragon's.

"None of us wants that, Hiccup." Horst spoke up quietly. "But it's the only way to ensure the safety of our village."

Hiccup shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not saying you're wrong, but you would die to protect your families from an attack on any other day! It's when there is a required trade that there is difference in opinion!"

"I'm not trading Inga's life for Anna's! Especially when we all know she'll be killed anyway!" Snotlout stood up and leaned forward, hitting the table with his fist.

"I'm not trying to pine your daughter for mine, Snotlout! If this situation were reversed, some man wanted to take Inga from you and do horrible things to her, you would be _begging_ for help!" Hiccup hollered furiously. "I'm trying to do the right thing by my wife and kids! I won't let the mother of my children cry herself to sleep every night for the rest of our _lives_ because some ruthless crooks have our babies!"

"The matter is closed! In three days, just do what you're told and everyone will be safe." Snotlout yelled back.

"Hiccup, if you don't do this, both your kids will die. If you want them to live, this is your only solution." Horst said calmly.

Hiccup laughed a humorless laugh. "You would rather that I send them away to live a life full of destruction and chaos than to at least try to protect them?"

"They'll die anyway!" Tuffnut piped up.

"No they WONT!" Astrid finally shouted, ending her silence. "Haven't our kids suffered enough? First Anna is tortured by some sick, twisted madwoman and then they lose their grandfather and _now_ you want them to spend the rest of their lives with the Berserkers? To condemn a little girl who still has nightmares to a life of being hurt by men several times her age and size?"

There was a deafening silence. Most of the council members lowered their heads, not making eye contact with their chief.

After a few seconds, Horst lifted his head and gently shook it. "Of course not... But what other choice do we have?"

Astrid shook her head tersely. She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. "I can't even Look at you all right now." She turned around and placed her hands on Stormfly's snout, trying to hold off more tears

"No one is going to hurt Adrianna. That's _illegal_." Snotlout drawled after a few seconds, his gaze firmly locked with Hiccup's.

"Like _that_ would stop Dagur from doing whatever he wants." Hiccup said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Well yeah, it would! You know, seeing as he's following the law in _this_ instance!" Snotlout shot back.

Hiccup took two fluent steps forward. "You calling me a liar? Are you so naive enough to believe that little girls out there are _not_ hurt _every day_?" Hiccup seethed in Snotlout's face for a moment, the atmosphere tensing by the second. "I don't care what it takes, I will stake my own life on it before I let that happen." he leaned in closer. "Dagur doesn't care About the law! He just wants to tear my family apart! He has been trying to destroy me since we were three! He couldn't succeed back then but now that I have something to lose, he is doing what homework he has to!"

Snotlout leaned in so that their noses were almost touching. "Well as long as _my_ daughter and everyone else's kids don't have to go through it, it doesn't matter to me what happens to yours."

Astrid whipped back around, her mouth agape. People's eyes snapped to Hiccup's face to see his response.

His face was sad, hurt and almost blank. Finally he nodded. "I would die to protect this village like any chief would. Like my father would. I am not perfect and I am trying so hard to do the right thing. But I would never, _never_ wish that on Inga in order to spare Adrianna."

"You wouldn't be saying that if the situations were reversed. Your daughter has always been your weakness and everyone knows it. You will always put her first." Snotlout laughed humorlessly. "You canceled Snoggletog, sent the entire army on a wild goose chase and all because she was missing. You can't look me in the eye and tell me you'd seriously risk her life to save anyone here."

"W-wouldn't _you_?" Hiccup shouted indignantly. "I wouldn't want anyone to go through what my family has in the last five years, but I would like you to know how it feels! To have your baby snatched from her bed in the middle of the night!"

"Well lucky for me, my daughter _wasn't_ -"

"You know what?" Hiccup held up a hand. "Forget it. I am not nearly selfish enough to even _start_ attempting to understand your point of view." He stepped back and looked over the council again. With a heavy sigh he asked again, quieter this time. "All in favor to declare war... raise your right hand."

Olaf, Gobber and Astrid raised their hands with him. Fishlegs sank slightly lower when the others' eyes rested on him.

"Fishlegs?" Astrid squeaked.

"Fish, please..." Hiccup murmured.

"I have three kids. I can't let... I won't... I have to do what's right for everyone." Fishlegs mumbled, his eyes fixed on his clasped hands.

Gobber suddenly hobbled forward, the wooden peg making a loud clunking sound that echoed through the Hall. "I can't believe you all." he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "If we unite together as a village, as the family we are supposed to be, we can whip them right out of here! But no, you're all too selfish and stubborn to see a couple of grieving parents, too scared to risk the thought of having to go through _half_ what they have for those kids!" Hiccup, or _anyone_ for that matter, had never seen Gobber so livid. "You don't trust your chief even though he has proved himself worthy since he was fifteen! You don't respect him and his authority, and you don't respect the legacy that Stoick the Vast left behind!"

"You're not a parent!" Ruffnut growled. "You don't know what you're talking about! You don't have _anyone_ to protect!"

"Gobber was a second father to _me_! I didn't have the luxury of two parents like you and Gobber made up for it." Hiccup snapped at her.

"I have five kids." Olaf said from the corner of the room. "And I'm not letting Hiccup's kids suffer just for their sake."

"You just don't want Erick to lose his girlfriend."Snotlout snipped.

"No, that is not true!" Olaf cried. "I would like to see you risk _your_ daughter at a Berserkers' clutches! You would die, as would I, at the _thought_!"

"You have your majority." said a woman at the back who kept her face half hidden in shame. "We're not changing our votes."

Hiccup felt a surge of panic well up inside his chest and he knew they could see it. "Guys please, I am begging you-"

"Beg all you want. We aren't changing out votes." Snotlout growled.

Hiccup had the urge to scream and pull his hair, but he did neither. He made eye contact with Gobber, then Olaf. In their eyes he saw determination and hope, both sets screaming at him "don't give up!" In them he found courage.

He stood taller and faced Snotlout again with a hardened expression. "Fine. I don't need your help."

The chief then turned, gently held his wife's arm and led her out of the Great Hall, Gobber, Olaf and the Haddocks' dragons on their heels. The moment the doors slammed behind them, Hiccup's hands began to tremble. He reached up and ran them through his hair, breathing heavily and forcing himself to contain the screams of anger building inside him, threatening to burst through.

I can't let them take my babies... I can't let them... I _can't-_ "

"Hiccup, they are not going anywhere, I promise!" Gobber held his shoulders like Stoick had done so many times in the past to capture his attention. It was only partially effective.

The young chief looked up at Gobber, his eyes wide and tears brimming at the edges. His breaths came in short gasps and everyone present knew that they had mere seconds before the dam would finally burst.

"No, don't... lad, look at me. It is okay; they won't take your kids away. They _won't_. Don't despair now; you need to focus. Come on now, I know you're in there." Gobber smiled at him gently.

Hiccup panted before nodding quickly, wiping his eyes, making a clear effort to pull himself back together before he fell apart. He turned to look at Astrid but she wasn't at his side. She was sitting against the wall of the Great Hall, her head in her hands and her shoulders shaking. Olaf was speaking to her, consoling her. Hiccup might have been upset that the older man was doing his job but he was simply too emotional to have been any help in the first place. He turned to look back at Gobber but the sight of the rest of the council walking down the hill from the back entrance of the Great Hall made his blood boil. He angrily kicked a bucket on the ground, sending it flying down the hill.

"Listen to me, Hiccup." Gobber said, gently nudging the young chief with his mallet. "I took our law book from the Hall. There has to be something that can help."

Hiccup, still shaking slightly, nodded and looked over the older man's shoulder as he flipped through the pages. They skimmed through dozens of laws, begging the gods for some way out, something to use against Dagur.

"Here's something: The majority of a tribe's council must accede to promulgate war officially. If the quorum lacks, the patriarch may appeal to all other chiefs to vote on the matter. An advocate is obliged to engage in battle." Hiccup read. "Okay, that sounds like it means that if the council won't declare war, we can call together the chiefs from all the other tribes to vote for it. And any chief who votes in the affirmative has to participate in the war."

"Hiccup..." Gobber sighed deeply. "Do you really think the other chiefs will side with you when your own council won't?"

"It's our only chance!" Hiccup snapped. "I don't see a single other law about getting around the council and declaring war. Or about reassigning citizenship. We _have_ to do this!" he turned to Astrid and Olaf and quickly explained the plan. "We need to round up some Terrible Terrors _now_ if we're going to meet with the other chiefs by this evening."

Olaf shook his head. "Listen, Hiccup-"

"There isn't another option. It's that or let the Berserkers take our kids and I will _never_ let that happen!" Hiccup said in a very shaky voice. Toothless growled in support of his human.

Hiccup took off down the hill, scanning the ground and the skies for Terrible Terrors. The others pursued, all speaking at once, all trying to talk some sense into him. He didn't hear a word they said. This was a long shot for sure. It would be a miracle if even one tribe sided with him. But it was _hope_. And with so few of his own people in support of him, he knew he had to cling to every ounce of hope he had left.


	10. Rejected

SMACK!

Snotlout reeled backward, nearly falling to the ground with the force of the blow. He stared at his wife, open mouthed and gasping for breath.

"What... what was _that_ for?" he choked, massaging his cheek.

"You don't already know?" Heather snapped, wiping her hand on her shirt as if that would take away the stinging sensation faster.

Snotlout had no response other than to continue to stare at her, his mouth bobbing up and down in surprise. Heather sighed deeply. Yet again, she was going to have to talk sense into the man. She loved him _so_ much but he could be a complete idiot sometimes.

"What you said to Hiccup and Astrid, from what I've heard, was reprehensible!" she growled, narrowing her eyes at him and thanking the gods that Spitelout was taking care of Inga for the afternoon. "You really don't care what happens to their kids?"

"As long as the Berserkers don't come after Inga, no!" Snotlout shot back, his anger returning. "If we go to war with them, we'll _all_ die! I was just saying what everyone else was thinking!"

"Look, I'm not saying I don't understand your point of view. I'm not even saying I disagree. But you _don't_ say things like that to grieving parents! Gods, Snotlout, Hiccup just lost his _father_!" Heather shouted, appalled at her husband's callousness. "And need I remind you that Stoick died saving _yours_?"

"All right, all right!" Snotlout huffed, taking another step away from his livid wife. "What's done is done, though. And would you have voted any differently?"

"Of course not but the point is that you told an already grieving family to give away their kids without _any_ remorse!" Heather sat down on the couch, balling her fists in her lap. "You have _got_ to figure out how to be tactful. You have a daughter! If you ever speak to her the way you spoke to Hiccup and Astrid-"

Snotlout bristled at the thought. "I would never-"

"Then act like it." Heather narrowed her eyes at him. "Go apologize to them."

"What? But-"

"You owe them an apology, Snotlout, for being the most inconsiderate person in the entire world!" Heather looked like she was on the brink of tears.

"What... why are you being so.. so... _passionate_ about this?" Snotlout asked in a slightly quieter voice.

Heather looked directly at her husband. "Because I'm imagining someone saying that about Inga. And it's disgusting. What you said was _disgusting_."

"Well it's too late now." Snotlout sat down, the weight of everything that had happened, everything he had said, crashed down on him. "We already voted not to declare war."

"You can apologize. You can be there for your friends during what will probably be the worst moment of their lives." Heather said, not making eye contact with him. "You can be a decent person, Snotlout."

Snotlout sighed deeply. Sometimes he hated it when his wife was right.

* * *

Eight Terrible Terrors had been rounded up in record time. Hiccup found a slip of parchment he had been using to sketch Toothless the previous day and ripped it up, writing on the back and tying each piece to the little dragons' legs. The way to tell a Terrible Terror where it was supposed to go was to feed it a little bit of dragon nip unique to its destination. Trader Johann had a thriving business thanks to that little trick. Hiccup quickly stopped at home and grabbed the small pouches of dragon nip. Once he had given the Terrible Terrors the tiny pieces of dragon nip unique to their destinations, he watched them fly away, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew that, thanks to the alliance with the dragons, the chiefs would arrive relatively soon.

"Wouldn't allowing the other chiefs on Berk be breaking the lock-down?" Astrid asked after the Terrors were out of sight.

"The chief initiating the lock-down can personally invite other chiefs and one adviser or spouse to enter the island without declaring war." Hiccup explained, thankful for that particular clause. "I sent Gobber to tell Dagur to meet us all at the Great Hall at eight. Which means we have time to spend with the kids. Until then."

They almost didn't want to see their children until all of this had been resolved. The idea of having to say goodbye to them, possibly for the rest of their lives, was maddening. Hiccup felt physically ill when he thought about it.

The young parents walked to Lotus' house slowly. Both almost dreaded seeing their children again. Having to look them in the eye and tell them that they might be taken away was too much to handle. But they had promised a picnic and if it was the last one they would ever have with their children, it was going to happen no matter what was going on in the background.

The moment Lotus looked at her daughter, she knew that the council meeting hadn't gone well. The tear stains on Astrid's face were alarming, as was Hiccup's tense form as he strode into the house. The twins were drawing quietly at the table, both so engrossed in their work that they didn't even notice their parents. Lotus quietly stepped forward and pushed the couple out of the front door and a few feet away from the house so that they could fill her in on what happened before collecting their offspring.

Within seconds, Lotus' hands were over her mouth, her blue eyes wide with horror. Only two people had supported her family. Two out of eighteen. She had always been rather fond of Olaf but now that she heard what he had said about her family, she suddenly felt like paying him a visit once this was all over.

"And if the chiefs don't vote to go to war, what then?" she asked after a few seconds of silence.

"We keep looking for loopholes." Hiccup replied. "Because I am never letting the Berserkers have them."

Lotus' stomach seemed to twist and turn. The twins were the only grandchildren she would ever have. She had come to adore them in the years since they had been born. _No_. They wouldn't be taken. Not if she had anything to do with it.

"Don't tell them more than they need to know." she said, staring pointedly at each of them as she did so. "Act like this is a normal day. They're really on edge as it is."

The parents nodded and stepped forward to open the door and collect their children. Both Finn and Adrianna hopped to their feet, their drawings instantly forgotten, and ran to their parents. They looked slightly panicked.

"What's gonna happen to us?" Finn asked immediately, clutching Astrid's shoulders as she crouched down to talk to him.

"Is that man going to take us away?" Adrianna asked, doing the same to her father.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a split second glance that certainly didn't go unnoticed by their children. They then turned back to two concerned faces and shook their heads.

"Absolutely not." Hiccup told them. "You're staying here."

"But he said we belong to him." Finn scowled. "I'll fight him, if you need me to!"

Astrid breathed a laugh and gently brushed his bangs out from in front of his face. "That won't be necessary."

"And we're going on that picnic." Hiccup said with a weak smile. "Come on, grab your things."

Ordinarily the Haddocks would be a chatty bunch. The villagers often heard the family nearly talking over each other in their haste to say what they wanted. But as they walked through the village square on the way to a good field, there was silence. No one wanted to engage them in conversation. And the family didn't feel comfortable talking in front of the tribe. Not after the council meeting.

They finally arrived in a poppy field where they spread out their blankets and took the food out of their various containers. Hiccup and Astrid absentmindedly tossed fish to their dragons as they sat with their children, staring at both of them almost longingly.

Adrianna settled on her stomach, her head in one of her hands and her other hand playing with a bright red poppy that she had plucked from the ground. She had always loved the smell of poppies. And the book of pressed ones Stoick had made now rested against her nightstand. But fresh poppies smelled and felt a lot better. She chewed on her lower lip as she watched Finn ravenously tear into the food her parents had brought. He was always hungry, it seemed. But she was too worried to eat. She found herself wondering if there were flowers like this on the Berserker's island. Or if she would be allowed to be outside at all. Suddenly she was gripped with a very big, very important question. A question she wanted answered by her father and him _only_.

She stood up, gripping the poppy in her hand, and walked up to her father, who was gently stroking Toothless' snout. He gave her a warm smile.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, hoping that he didn't look as depressed as he felt.

Adrianna could read her father's facial expressions with startling accuracy and his depression did not go unnoticed. But this was an important question.

"Can we go for a ride?" she asked him, her eyes flitting to Toothless. "Not in the sky if you don't want."

Hiccup looked over at Finn. He had ridden a dragon. Adrianna still hadn't. And her first ride was _not_ going to be on a foreign dragon. He looked back at her and his smile widened. Even with all the stress, the idea of taking his little girl into the clouds sounded like a good distraction. A fun distraction.

"I think it's time we went for a flight." he said, tapping her on the nose.

Astrid glanced at him. She wasn't sure how she felt about her daughter flying on a dragon but Hiccup was simply too enthusiastic to convince her to voice these feelings. She turned back to Finn and tried to wipe some jam off of his chin as Hiccup and Adrianna mounted Toothless.

The moment Adrianna was airborne, she knew that this was something she wanted to do every day once she had her own dragon. She loved the sensation of the wind in her hair (she was far too impatient to let Astrid braid it each day) and the feeling of the cool air rushing through her sinuses, clearing them more than ever before, was invigorating. She took a deep breath and lifted her arms as they flew into the clouds. The tiny water droplets felt cold against her exposed fingers but she loved the sensation.

Hiccup tightened his hold around her waist. He looked up at her little hands, her fingers stretched apart and slicing the clouds. Hands he had held thousands of times, had bandaged when she had hurt them, had kissed when they had tea parties and he wanted to make her feel like a lady... tiny hands just like his mothers had been, like Astrid's were... his heart thumped uncomfortably at the thought of those hands never resting on his shoulder and clasping with his as they danced at her wedding, those hands never wiping away any more of his tears... he couldn't imagine a world without his Addie.

The flight ended far too soon. Toothless touched down a little way from where Astrid and Finn were eating, almost like he knew that Adrianna still wanted to talk to her father. Hiccup slid off the Night Fury's back and gently lifted his daughter and placed her on the ground in front of him. Her lower lip was trembling slightly, which was never a good sign. He got down on his knees in front of her so that she could look him in the eye.

She worked up the courage to ask what she wanted to ask after several seconds. "What does that man what to do to me?"

Hiccup felt his heart freeze for a second. Of course she was going to ask. How could she not? She had heard what Dagur said about her, had seen the color drain from his face. Yet she was far too young to understand and, in his opinion, far too young to know what had been implied. But he couldn't lie to her face. Not when she was so obviously frightened.

"It doesn't matter." he said, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "Because I'm not letting him take you."

Adrianna shook her head. "What did he mean by saying I'd be a good toy?"

Hiccup felt a surge of anger deep within his chest. A father should _never_ have to answer a question like that. Certainly not when his child was several years too young to be told anything about that particular subject. He tightened his hold on her shoulders, his voice dying in his throat before he forced it out.

"You're better off not knowing." he choked, willing himself to keep his emotions out of his facial expression.

Adrianna could see rage and fear in her father's eyes and shuddered slightly. But she was determined to get an answer. "Please don't lie." she mumbled. "Tell me why everyone got so upset. Please?" she averted his gaze, staring down at her twitching hands. "What's gonna happen to me?"

If she hadn't gone through everything with Trista, if she hadn't known what true fear was, hadn't experienced hate of that magnitude, Hiccup would have refused to answer. And she probably would not have asked. But now she needed to know. Now she needed answers. She was afraid that she would be back with someone like Trista. And the reality was so much _worse_. So horrible that Hiccup couldn't possibly speak the words for fear that they might come to pass.

"Addie..." he sighed, choosing his words carefully. "There are some very bad men who... who hurt little girls for fun. Dagur wants to give you to them." Adrianna's eyes widened in horror. "But I will _never_ let that happen. No one will _ever_ hurt you like that."

Adrianna looked visibly shaken by this news but Hiccup was ready. He gently put his arms around her and held her trembling form. She wasn't crying; he suspected that she was too shocked to cry. Whatever she had been expecting, it most certainly hadn't been that. The girl couldn't imagine anyone, other than Trista, being cruel enough to _let_ someone hurt her. She certainly couldn't imagine anyone having _fun_ while hurting somebody.

But then she realized that, even though her daddy couldn't always stop her from _getting_ hurt, he could stop her from _staying_ hurt. And he would save her from this fate.

* * *

Astrid watched Toothless take off, tracing his movements with her eyes until he and his riders vanished into the clouds. She and Finn were completely silent for a while, both eating and both not the sort of people who talked when there was nothing to talk about in the first place. Finally, Finn broke the silence.

"Can they really make me be a Berserker chief?" he asked in an unnervingly casual tone.

Astrid stared at her son for nearly a minute. "No." she said simply. "Your daddy and I would rather you become the Hooligan chief."

Finn furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "I don't think it would be so bad. I mean I'd rather be a chief than let those big men hurt you, mommy."

Astrid was slightly taken aback at this comment. When had her son become so strong and selfless? She began to wonder if he was simply trying to be strong like his grandfather had been. Ever since Stoick had died, she sometimes caught him doing things Stoick used to do, like barking out orders to the dragons or strutting into the room like he was two hundred pounds heavier. But she certainly wasn't about to let him be shipped off to a foreign island whether Dagur truly meant to make him the heir or not. She would never let her son learn cruelty and the Berserker chief was the best teacher in the archipelago when it came to that.

"You wouldn't want to be their chief." Astrid muttered, her appetite suddenly gone. "They're terrible people, Finn. It wouldn't be worth it."

"But mommy-"

"Finn, do you know anything about your own heritage?" Astrid interrupted. "If your grandfather were here, he'd never stand for it. For centuries, chiefs fought hard to preserve this island, to keep their children safe. If they knew that one of their descendents was to become a chief of an island as vile as Berserker Island, they would be ashamed."

"But I don't want them to hurt you." Finn protested, putting down his sandwich and not caring that he spilled the meat and vegetables all over his lap.

"I would rather die than let them take you away, buddy." Astrid said, staring straight into his eyes.

Finn tensed. "You're not gonna die... are you?"

Astrid opened her mouth but no sound came out. She certainly couldn't promise that she or Hiccup wouldn't. She couldn't even promise to _try_ to stay safe. There was absolutely nothing she could offer her son except empty words.

"I'm going to try very hard not to die, Finn." she promised, her voice shaking slightly.

Finn's eyes widened and he immediately scooted forward, his dismembered sandwich forgotten, and threw himself into his mother's arms.

"You're not allowed to die." he whispered into her ear. "I won't let you."

Astrid couldn't think of a single thing to say so she hugged her son tightly, hoping that that she would have many more years with him. There was so much she could teach him if the gods would just let her raise him. And with the way things had been turning out from the moment the twins were born, with all the near death experiences and people trying to take them away, she began to fear that this was too much to ask.

* * *

The summoning bells rang late that afternoon as the family was returning to the village after a long afternoon. Hiccup's hands tightened their hold on Adrianna and Finn's. The chiefs were arriving and it was his job to greet them. He briefly thought that it might be a good idea to allow the chiefs to see his children before going in to the Great Hall but decided against it. With tribe names like the Cantankerous Cutthroats and Ravaging Rangers, it would probably be better for the twins to be away from it all. They led them to the forge and deposited them with Gobber, who wasn't allowed in the meeting.

The moment they emerged from the forge, they saw a woman they did not know walking next to a young girl who couldn't be any older than sixteen. The woman looked like she'd never smiled in her life while the girl couldn't _stop_ smiling. Everything about Berk seemed to fascinate her.

"You must be a new chief." Hiccup said, shaking the woman's hand. "Thank you for coming."

"I'm afraid I'm not the chief." the woman replied, looking slightly irritated.

"I am. But apparently I'm not old enough to think for myself." the girl said, looking slightly peeved. "My name is Milly."

"Ahh, Milly the Frilly. I've heard of you." Astrid smiled. "One year to go before you're allowed to make decisions without your adviser."

"Six months and two days to be exact." Milly sighed dramatically. "But I have to be there because technically I am chief." her adviser glared at her. "Not that I don't _want_ to be here."

"No, it's okay. I don't think anyone does." Hiccup said with a small smile. "Our Great Hall is up that hill. Why don't you go ahead and settle down and we'll start as soon as everyone gets here."

Milly and her adviser nodded politely and walked up the hill just as a man Hiccup recognized as Tollum the Talkative from the Brainiac tribe walked up. They had only met once or twice but there was no forgetting someone like that.

"Good evening." Tollum smiled fondly at Hiccup. "I do wish that we could correspond under better circumstances however I am pleased to revisit Berk, however brief the visit may be."

"Yes well... we welcome you." Hiccup said, hoping that the other chief wouldn't go off on one of his tangents, as he was likely to do.

"I sincerely hope that we can put this unpleasant incident behind us." Tollum said by way of a goodbye and walked toward the Great Hall.

Hiccup watched as the Ruthless Runian chief, a man named Grey the Guileful, walked past him without greeting him. The man was walking with his wife, whose name Hiccup could never remember. Most of the chiefs were walking by without greeting the couple. They spotted Jade the Just, chief of the Cantankerous Cutthroats, Alvina (also called Allie) the Insincere, new chief of the Outcasts, and Oblivious Sandalwood, chief of the Blundering Breachers. There were a few more chiefs left to arrive but the Hooligan chief decided that he and Astrid would be better off inside the Great Hall beginning the meeting.

Dagur arrived seconds after Hiccup and Astrid entered the Great Hall. While they had, in fact, explained as much as they could on the small pieces of paper, they decided to explain in greater detail as the other chiefs were settling in. Once everyone had arrived and knew the situation, Dagur decided to speak up.

"This is a ridiculous waste of your time, as you well know, so let's just put it to a vote. All those dumb enough to engage in battle with my fleet, raise your right hand." he said, rolling his eyes and, truthfully, wanting to get this over with.

Hiccup and Astrid looked around hopefully but only one hand raised. The hand belonged to Kara the Kind, a wild looking woman with very curly red hair. She was the chief of the Meatheads and was rarely seen on a foreign island without her husband, Frederik the Friendly. Both looked at Hiccup and Astrid compassionately.

"And all those opposed." Dagur continued.

Seven hands flew upward.

"Okay..." Hiccup's mind raced, trying to stall them before they left or, worse, tried to forcefully take his children. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"Couldn't we change the law? Say... the child's parents decide his or her tribal affiliation?" Astrid pleaded, beginning to panic at the sight of a few of the chiefs looking like they were about to leave.

"You might want to look that up in the law book." Dagur snickered, tossing the book to her. "Read it out loud. Article 14."

Astrid glared at Dagur and opened the book to the aforementioned law. "The alteration of a law necessitates a convention and unanimous acquiesce by all tribal chiefs."

"Well there you go. I'm a tribal chief and I don't really want to, what's the word? Acquiesce." Dagur chortled. "Looks like you have your ruling."

"You don't understand!" Hiccup cried, slamming his fist on the table and causing everyone to jump. "Dagur will take our kids. Berk won't have an heir!"

"Look, we all feel sorry for you." Allie the Insincere said in a syrupy voice. "But there's nothing we can do."

"If we engage Dagur in battle, our tribes will be annihilated." Tollum sighed. "I'm afraid the only course of action is to surrender the Hooligan heirs post haste to avoid any future conflict."

"But that's not right!" Milly the Frilly cried, standing up. "They're Hiccup and Astrid's kids! You can't just tear them away from their family!"

"Sit down!" her adviser snapped irritably.

"No! I want to side with the Hooligans!"

"I said sit _down_!" the woman pulled her down by her wrist. "And keep quiet."

"I don't want to put my tribe in danger just for a couple of kids." Oblivious Sandalwood said in a quiet voice. "But I am sorry."

"We all sympathize with your plight." Jade the Just spoke up, standing and facing the other chiefs in the room. "We would love to do all we could for you and your wife. However, it simply isn't possible. To go to war over two children wouldn't be fair for the rest of the families who might lose someone in battle. Only one option exists to keep everyone safe and that is to hand your children over. We don't want this to be necessary but it is the best option."

"But if we hand them over, our daughter will be hurt by Dagur's men! What if it was _your_ daughter, wouldn't you want to protect her?" Hiccup choked down waves of emotion threatening to burst through.

"I would never put any little girl in that situation." Dagur simpered, a look of triumph crossing over his features.

"In any case, it's illegal." Yuri the Yodeler, chief of the Woeful Wailers, spoke up.

"I'm sure your kids will be perfectly safe." added Lanky Louie, chief of the Lugubrious Lava Louts.

"I think you're all making a mistake." Kara finally said after waiting for a pause long enough to jump in. "No parent should ever have their child taken away. We Meatheads side with the Hooligans."

"We won't have any trouble destroying your army, Kara." Dagur snorted in derision. "Aren't the Meatheads a peaceful tribe?"

"We fight for what is right." Kara shot back. "And what you're trying to do is despicable."

"Despicable maybe but the kids really are special. I would love a strong boy like Finn as my heir. Producing one of my own would be so much work. I'm a busy man." Dagur said, not even looking up as he inspected his sword for smudges. "And the girl would certainly raise morale. I hear she's very friendly."

"It seems we have all come to our decisions." Grey the Guileful announced. "The lock-down will end in three days." he turned to Hiccup and Astrid, who were both beginning to physically tremble. "My condolences."

"I believe this meeting should be adjourned as none of us will be changing our votes." Jade said in a low voice, not making eye contact with anyone. "We offer our sincerest apologies and hope-"

"Stuff it." Hiccup snarled. "Just go."

There was almost complete silence as all except Hiccup, Astrid, Dagur, Kara, and Frederik shuffled out of the Great Hall and to their dragons to return home. Dagur swaggered past Hiccup.

"Yes, your little Addie will be just the thing to raise morale." he muttered so that only Hiccup could hear him. "I think she'll be _very_ popular."

As Hiccup balled his fist, restraining himself from punching the Berserker chief, he felt like everything was crashing down around him. There was no way out. His eyes began to burn but he forced the tears back. There had to be something he could do. This couldn't be the end. He turned to Astrid, Kara, and Frederik.

"Get out that law book." he said, trying not to let his anguish seep through his speech.

Astrid opened the book and laid it flat on the table. Kara turned to Hiccup.

"If it takes all night, we will find something to use against Dagur." she sat down next to Astrid and began reading the laws as closely as she could.

Frederik strode forward and patted Hiccup on the back. "Don't despair. We'll find something."

Hiccup nodded, trying to force his body to stop trembling. He had even less hope than before. But he also knew that he wasn't going to give up.


	11. Ray of Hope

Hiccup, Astrid, Kara, and Frederik were completely silent as they read and reread every law in the book. They hardly noticed as the wax in the candles they were using dripped onto the table, the wicks steadily shortening until the flames were nearly at the candles' bases.

"There's absolutely nothing in here about changing someone's tribal affiliation before they come of age." Astrid pushed the law book away, putting her head in her hands. "You'd think someone would have thought of this."

Hiccup looked over at her for a second but didn't reply. He was far too busy poring over the confusing laws to notice much. Kara bit her lip as she traced her finger across the words, trying to take in every word, come up with something to twist, a loophole to use. Frederik patted Astrid on the back.

"Don't give up. There's something we can use." he said gently, a small smile on his face. "We just need to look at this a different way."

"And what other way can we look at this?" Hiccup snapped, balling his fists but keeping his voice as calm as he could. "We've been at this for ages. We've found _nothing_."

Kara was silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on a few small lines, her finger still on the page. "There is something. But it's... it's not a good idea."

Hiccup nearly pushed her off the bench in his haste to read the law to which she was pointing: _A chief is bound to the traditions and expectations of their people, with the highest regard for the tribe's protection. A duel is uniquely exclusive for the leader of a clan. A neutral tribe must host the impasse, the chief and council as witnesses in addition to the juntas of both conflicting tribes. As an antecedent, all participants must arrive on the designated territory on the eve of the event. Adjutant or any form or auxiliary is forbidden, otherwise considered an act of war. The fight shall be to the death; the reward is complete acquisition (including spouses).  
_

"What does that mean?" Frederik asked, leaning over his wife and reading over her shoulder.

Astrid, however, had gotten the gist of the law and was staring at her husband. "Absolutely not. You'll be killed."

"What other choice do I have?" Hiccup asked, looking her directly in the eyes.

Astrid opened her mouth but no sound came out. She shut it with an audible snap. There was absolute silence for a short while; Frederik and Kara didn't feel comfortable interrupting. Finally, Frederik decided that it had been awkward long enough.

"You're going to challenge Dagur." Frederik said, scooting forward a tiny bit. "And if you kill him, you'll take over Berserker Island in addition to Berk. Thus taking your kids back."

Hiccup stared at him for a long time before silently nodding.

"But if Dagur kills you, he takes over Berk. And is permitted to marry Astrid if he wants." Kara continued, her eyes widening.

"And he'll want to." Astrid gripped Hiccup's wrist. "Don't do this."

Hiccup wrenched his wrist out of Astrid's grasp, staring at her with a very hard expression. "Do I really have a choice?"

"We could... run! Run away with the kids!" Astrid suggested. "Fake an accident, maybe."

"And have them spend the rest of their childhood looking over their shoulders?" Hiccup shook his head. "What kind of example would that set? We can't teach them to run away when things get tough. They're Haddocks. They're probably going to have problems thrown at them for the rest of their lives."

"I admit there doesn't seem to be another option." Kara said quietly, not making eye contact with anyone. "But this still seems like a bad idea."

"Seems like?" Astrid gasped, standing up with her fists balled. "Seems? Hiccup, Dagur will _kill_ you without a second thought! And then he'll be the chief of the Berserkers _and_ the Hooligans!"

"And maybe I'll kill him!" Hiccup shouted, standing up and facing his wife. "Didn't you ever think of that? This could be our chance to protect our children for the rest of their lives!"

Astrid paused for a moment, her mouth agape and staring at her husband. "You're not a killer, Hiccup." She muttered in a barely audible voice. "And you're not meant to be one."

"Fine! You know what, why wait three days? Why don't we just pack up the kids and hand them to the Berserkers now?" Hiccup snarled, throwing his hands in the air.

Astrid stared at him for half a minute before realizing that she was holding her breath. She exhaled slowly through her teeth. There was no alternative and she, in her always logical state of mind, knew this to be true.

"Okay." she said, surrendering at last. "But let's wait the three days. We can prepare you."

"You can have the duel on Brawn." Kara added quietly. "We should leave tomorrow. We have an arena, we can spend tomorrow training."

Hiccup's heart was pounding but he stood tall and tried to act confident. Astrid saw through this charade at once. The Hooligan chief immediately turned and left the Great Hall, his wife, the Meathead chief, and her husband and his heels. He mounted his dragon and took off without looking back, flying directly to the largest ship with Skrill decked sails.

Dagur was having a laugh with some of his soldiers which Hiccup touched down on the deck. The gangly chief dismounted and faced the muscular one, standing erect and staring the larger man in the eye.

"I'll do it." he said in a low voice, drawing himself up even higher.

Dagur knew better than to rejoice just yet. "You'll do _what_?" he asked, leaning in even closer.

"You can have my kids. Hel, you can even have my tribe. But you'll have to kill me first." Hiccup continued.

Dagur took a step back and stroked his short beard thoughtfully. "What do you propose?"

"A duel. You, me, and our dragons. And any weapons we choose. At dawn the day after tomorrow." Hiccup hissed, stepping closer and hoping that his pounding heart wasn't audible.

Dagur began to cackle wildly, clutching his stomach with both of his arms and keeling over. For over a minute, only the sounds of his echoing guffaws could be heard.

"Oh Hiccup, you are desperate, aren't you?" he laughed, gasping for breath. "You're really willing to stake your whole tribe on it?"

"Yes." Hiccup said solemnly, his body tense and wishing he could punch the rest of the man's teeth out. "If it could save my children, I will do whatever it takes."

"In that case, it would be my pleasure to kill you." Dagur chortled, wiping tears of mirth out of his eyes. "I wholeheartedly accept. But the law requires that we fight on neutral territory."

"Kara the Kind has offered to allow us to duel on Brawn."

Dagur took deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Perfect. We'll leave at dawn tomorrow."

"As will we." Hiccup turned on his heel and walked up to his dragon.

"Enjoy your last night with your kids. Ever." Dagur simpered with a horrible smile.

Hiccup's insides seemed to plummet. He turned to look at his adversary and realized with a jolt that the man was surrounded by formidable weapons. It would be wishful thinking t assume that Dagur the Deranged had ever run across a weapon he couldn't use and there certainly wasn't a shortage of them on the ship or on his person. The Hooligan chief truly was no match for the Berserker. And both men knew it.

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid paused before knocking on Gobber's door. This was partially out of hesitation to face their children without any good news and partially because they had been arguing the entire walk to the blacksmith's house.

"They're not even five yet! That kind of information would be too much to process." Hiccup whispered so that he couldn't be heard by the occupants of the house.

"And if Dagur kills you, am I supposed to just... shock them?" Astrid muttered, raising her voice slightly. "They have to be prepared for the possibility!"

"Addie's nightmares are already bad enough; do you _really_ think this is going to help her cope any better?" Hiccup breathed, his voice sounding rather frantic.

"So you don't want her to be prepared at all. You just want me to have to straight up tell her you're dead without giving her any time to get used to the idea?" Astrid sighed. "Really think about it, Hiccup. Is that how you want her to remember you?"

"I still don't think we should tell her." Hiccup insisted.

"Speaking as the person who is going to have to break the news to her and Finn, I saw we should." Astrid whispered. "It'll be better for them in the long run to have a chance to say goodbye."

Hiccup was silent for a moment. "Okay. But we don't have to tell them everything. Just what they need to know."

Astrid nodded and knocked on the door. Gobber opened it rather dramatically, decked in flowers and wearing a bright pink bonnet.

Hiccup, completely used to this sight by now, could help smiling. "Just to be clear, this is Addie's handiwork?"

"Oh yes. Your son was rather interested in every single sharp object I possess. Fortunately, he's not very tall." Gobber gestured to his tallest shelves, which were covered in weapons.

"You know, Gobber, have you ever considered just locking them up?" Hiccup asked, rolling his eyes. "It might be easier than putting all your sharp objects on your shelves where a lot of them are hanging rather precariously off the edges."

"Fine, don't thank me for taking care of the kiddies for the last few hours." Gobber smiled and took the bonnet off of his head. "They're in bed now. Before we wake them up, tell me what you've found out."

Hiccup and Astrid walked over to Gobber's bench and sat down rather close together. Without realizing it, they had taken the other's hand and were gripping it rather tightly. Hiccup brought Gobber up to date on what they had found. When he finished, there was a ringing silence.

"Hiccup..." Gobber paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "You don't have to be your father."

Hiccup was rather surprised by this seemingly random statement. Upon seeing the confusion on his and Astrid's faces, Gobber continued.

"Your father was a great chief and he had rather big shoes to fill. And I know it must be overwhelming to pick up where he left off. But you don't have to prove yourself." the older man paused for a moment to allow Hiccup to rebut.

"I'm not trying to be my father. I'm trying to protect my children." Hiccup mumbled, squeezing Astrid's hand more tightly than before.

"I know that's what you think you're doing." Gobber said gently. "And, in some ways, it _is_ what you're doing. But doing something this reckless, this dangerous... it's not the kind of thing you should be doing right now."

"So what am I supposed to do? Give my kids to Dagur?" Hiccup asked, gripping his knee with his free hand.

"I'm certainly not saying that either. And as far as I can tell, this _is_ the only alternative." Gobber admitted with a sigh. "Unless... did you ever think about running away? Taking the kids to an uninhabited island or something? I mean I know it's not ideal but you'll all be alive and together."

Hiccup shook his head. "No. I have to face this head on. This is the only option and if Dagur kills me, he kills me. At least I'll have died defending my children."

"No!"

Hiccup and Astrid looked over to the staircase and were horrified to find their tiny daughter nearly diving down the stairs and running at full speed into her daddy's arms. Their son was still at the top of the staircase, his mouth open in shock and his hand frozen to the bannister.

"Don't die, daddy." Adrianna whimpered, throwing her arms around her father and clinging to his shirt. "Please don't die."

Of all the ways their children could have found out the truth, this was quite possibly the worst. Hiccup hugged his trembling, terrified daughter and prayed that he could find the right words to say.

"Addie, honey, no one knows what's going to happen." he whispered, lifting her onto his lap. "But I'm doing this so that no one will hurt you."

Adrianna shook her head, burying her face into his chest and shaking with fear. "I... I'll go with them but _please_ don't die. You _can't_ die!"

"Addie-"

"NO!" she screamed. "Don't do it, daddy!"

Hiccup and Astrid didn't notice Finn walk down the stairs but now he stood in front of them, his eyes wide with terror. It wasn't often that they saw him this scared.

"You're not... you're n-not going to die..." he choked out. "Because you c-cant... you have t-to... you _can't_."

"Come here, buddy." Hiccup let go of Astrid's hand and gently beckoned for his son to approach. He did, shuffling his feet and unblinkingly staring at his father. "To save you two, I have to fight the man who wants to take you away. And if I win the fight, I get to keep you. But he's stronger than me so... so he might win."

"But you'll fight again until you win." Adrianna tightened her grip on his shirt with both her fists.

"Finn, Addie... he's a very bad man who has hated me for a long, long time. If he wins, he's going to kill me." Hiccup held Adrianna closer and put a hand on Finn's shoulder. "But I will fight as hard as I can so I can win. So he can't hurt you."

"You're gonna die like Poppy did." Finn's eyebrows furrowed and his fear was replaced with anger. "Why would you... how come you don't wanna stay here?"

"Finn, that's not why I'm-"

"WHY?" Finn shouted. "Why do you have to fight?"

"I told you, because that's the only way to-"

"Don't fight! Just... don't!" the boy shook his head, his eyes prickling with tears that he hastily blinked away.

"It's not that simple, Finn." Astrid gently reached out and took both of his hands. "If your daddy doesn't fight, we will lose you. Forever."

Finn had no response to this except to sniffle a few times and try to wipe his eyes on the shoulder of his shirt. Hiccup had been expecting an emotional outburst from Adrianna but she was silent, still clinging to him but not interrupting. She almost seemed to be in shock.

"I don't want to do this." Hiccup said sadly, trying to convey just how conflicted he felt without burdening his children any more than necessary. "I want to stay here and be with you. More than anything. And if this is the only way I can keep you safe, then it's my job to fight for you. It's what daddies are supposed to do."

"I think it's time all of you went home and got some sleep." Gobber mumbled, feeling like an outsider but not wanting to get any closer to them at the same time.

"Yes. That sounds like a good idea." Astrid kissed her son on the cheek before standing up and taking his and Hiccup's hands.

Adrianna wouldn't let go of her father so he picked her up, holding her close and feeling her heartbeat racing against his chest. How he wanted to say something, anything, that would slow it down. Something comforting to raise his little girl's spirits. But as he said goodbye to Gobber and walked into the village, not a single word came to mind.

* * *

The moment Hiccup woke up, his heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an iron fist. His arm was draped protectively over his children, both of whom decided to spend the night with their parents instead of in their own rooms. They were still and quiet. He often liked to peek in while they were sleeping and watch them for a few seconds, smiling and pulling up their covers so that they were more comfortable. His children were the gods' greatest gifts and he would do anything for them. Even die.

He felt Astrid's hand shift slightly from atop his. In the dim light, he saw his wife open her eyes and stare at him for a few seconds in complete silence. In a few minutes, they would have to awaken their children to see them off. In a short time, the young father was going to have to bid them goodbye and hope that it wouldn't be the last time he ever saw their faces. But now was not the time. The children needed as much sleep as they could get. They needed to remain peaceful and unburdened for as long as possible.

Astrid gently rubbed his hand with hers in a comforting manner, feeling every bit as tight in the chest as her husband. If this was the last full day she would ever have with him, she wanted to cherish every moment, even the silent ones. And if this was the last morning she would ever have with her entire family... her heart tightened even more.

But the fleeting moments of silence came to an end before either of them were ready. If they didn't get a move on, they would be late and they would be breaking the law and allowing Dagur and his army to come in and destroy Berk if they so wanted. They weren't sure if this was actually legal since the laws were incredibly difficult to understand but they didn't want to find out the hard way.

They lightly shook their children awake. Adrianna, not used to waking up early, groaned and snuggled in closer to her father. Hiccup put his arms around her and gently sat up, lifting her with him. Her hair stuck out at odd angles and he affectionately smoothed it down, praying to as many gods as he could that this wouldn't be the last time he did so. He had a feeling that he would be doing a lot of praying for his life in the coming hours.

The family had never been so silent as they went to their separate rooms to change into their day clothes. The twins put on their favorite colors, green in Finn's case and purple in Adrianna's, almost as if this was a good luck charm. Hiccup and Astrid put on their flight suits and packed some more clothes into a bag. By the time the family was up and dressed, the rest of the council, who had been informed of the new developments by Gobber the previous night, had arrived at the Haddock house. Lotus had also come so that she could take care of the twins when their parents were away.

"Most of us think you're making a mistake." Snotlout spoke up the moment Hiccup emerged from the house.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence." Hiccup caustically replied, glaring at him. "But I'm doing this."

"I'm not trying to change your mind." Snotlout said in a surprisingly soft voice. "I, and everyone else here, just wanted you to know what we think."

There wasn't a trace of hostility in Snotlout's face so Hiccup slowly nodded.

Toothless gently nudged his human with his nose. It was nearly time to leave and there was only one thing left to do. Hiccup's throat constricted and he felt a slight burning sensation behind his eyes as his wife and children exited the house behind him. He tied his bag to Toothless' saddle before getting on his knees in front of his son.

"Finn," he whispered so that only the boy could hear him. "I'm going to fight as hard as I can so I can come back. Don't ever think I don't want to be there for you."

Finn's lower lip quivered but he nodded resolutely. "I know." he said in a rather firm voice that reminded Hiccup of Stoick. "Just come back."

Hiccup knew that to reply would cause his tears to fall so he leaned forward and embraced the small boy, holding him tightly and praying that this wouldn't be the last time he held his son. He wanted more than anything to somehow show his little boy just how much he loved him and how proud he was of him. But all he could do was give him the biggest hug he could possibly give. When they finally broke apart, his heart nearly stopped at the look of fear on Finn's face. The young father gently ruffled his son's hair and gently pushed him to his mother.

Then came the small, timid hiccup. Adrianna stepped forward, her beautiful green eyes wide and tears spilling onto her cheeks. She was shaking so hard she could barely stand and just as Finn went to his mother, she collapsed into her father's arms, dropping Mr. Gobcup to the ground as she did so.

"D-don't go, daddy." she whimpered, her tears soaking his shoulder pad. "P-please don't go. Don't l-leave me."

Hiccup held her as tightly as he could without hurting her. He could feel her heart racing faster than it had the previous night. Or perhaps he was imagining it because she was shaking like a leaf. In her entire life, he didn't think she had ever been this frightened. And there was nothing he could say to make it better.

"Addie, you know I love you." he whispered, his voice shaking with the effort to keep his emotions down. "And I would do _anything_ to protect you."

"Then s-stay here." Adrianna leaned back so that he was looking directly into her eyes. "Because I'm n-not safe without you."

Hiccup tenderly wiped away her tears with his thumb, not allowing himself to avert her gaze. He had comforted her when she was crying hundreds of times but this time was different. This time the only way to protect her was to make her cry more than ever before. He hated the sight of his little girl's misery, the way her body jolted with hiccups and steadily louder sobs.

It suddenly occurred to him that he may never wipe a single tear from her eye again, that he would never let her cry on his shoulder, that he could never hear the beautiful sound of her giggling through copious amounts of hiccups. And as he stared into her face, he realized that he may _never_ see her smile again. His last moments with his baby would be spent trying to convince her that everything would be all right one day, even though he knew that by dying, he would be altering her life forever. She had always depended on him to be her hero. But what would happen when her hero failed her? She was far too young to lose her innocence in that way. And there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it.

Without any warning, a tear finally escaped from his eyelid. Adrianna wasted no time in reaching up and wiping it away. Hiccup blinked a few times and no more tears followed. His heart grew tighter with every second longer he spent holding her but he didn't want to let her go. Her fists were clenched around small sections of his flight suit, almost like she thought that by holding on, she could force him to stay.

"I love you _so_ much, Addie." he repeated, reaching up and tucking some of her long hair behind her ear. "And I'm going to fight harder than I've ever fought because I want to come home to you. I want to be there for you, baby."

"So d-don't go." Adrianna whined in a much louder voice. "Don't d-die."

Hiccup leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. She let out another sob and clutched his suit even tighter. He reached down and picked up Mr. Gobcup, trying to hand it to her and hoping that she let go long enough to take it. She stared at it for a moment before letting go of his suit with her right hand and taking the doll. Looking determined, she immediately pinned the doll under one of the straps of the flight suit so that it was attached to her daddy's chest. Hiccup put his hand on top of hers as she finished adjusting the doll so that it wouldn't fall off.

"I won't take it off." he whispered, kissing her on the forehead again.

"Hiccup, we're going to have to leave." Gobber reminded him as softly as he could.

The chief nodded and gently tried to pry his daughter's fists from his flight suit.

"It's time to let go, baby." he said, his voice shaking with suppressed emotion.

"No." she shook her head. "You're not g-going."

Hiccup pulled slightly harder but this only resulted in her grip tightening. Her sobbing was growing louder, as were her hiccups. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But it wasn't. She was far more familiar with death and pain than any child ever should be and she was fully capable of understanding that letting her father go might cause her to lose him forever. She couldn't let that happen.

"I am going to try to come back to you." Hiccup promised, fighting the burning sensation behind his eyes. "Addie, I am doing this for you. So that no one can hurt you again."

"NO!" she screamed, her sobs sounding frantic. "DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"I have to go, baby."

"NO!" Lotus put her arms around the girl's waist and pulled her away. Adrianna kicked and screamed but it was to no avail as her strength finally gave out and she was forced to let go of her daddy. "NO! PLEASE!"

Finn watched the scene in silence. He didn't know how to react, wasn't sure if he _could_ react. All he could do was watch his sister plead for more time with their father. _He_ wanted more time with his father. But he knew that he couldn't have it. And with Adrianna screaming and begging her parents to stay, he decided that he was going to be as strong as he could.

Hiccup turned away, wincing as his daughter's wailing grew even louder. The entire council watched the scene, every one of them who had voted against the Haddocks beginning to regret their votes. Everyone mounted their dragons but Hiccup put up a hand to signal that they stay on the ground a moment longer.

"I love you." he told his children. "Don't ever forget it."

And with that, twenty dragons took off, trying to ignore the sobs and pleas of a terrified little girl. Snotlout gripped Hookfang's horns tightly as her loud cries grew fainter. He stole a glance at Hiccup and was unsurprised to see several tears fall down his face before he hastily wiped them away. He wanted to say something comforting, something encouraging, but as the screaming and sobbing was finally drowned out, he found himself unable to say a word.


	12. Worst Nightmare

The Meathead island was slightly smaller than Berk and much greener. The residents seemed unperturbed by the sudden arrival of twenty foreign men and women on dragons. It was almost like this was a daily occurrence, worthy of a split second glance but rather banal compared to one's task at hand. The Meatheads had been the first tribe after Berk to incorporate dragons into their everyday life. While Berk seemed to attract a higher number of Deadly Nadders and Terrible Terrors, Brawn played host to a greater number of Gronckles and Zipplebacks. Perhaps it was a slight difference in the atmosphere. Perhaps it had something to do with the kind of dragon nip that was unique to the tranquil island. Hiccup might have been very interested in investigating these possibilities were he not still hearing his daughter's cries ringing in his ears even a half hour later.

The sun's rays cast an orange glow on the island that steadily brightened as it rose from the sky. Hiccup had been to Brawn once before when Stoick had gone through a bizarre parenting phase that required the boy to be within thirty feet of him at all times. During the trip, Hiccup had a run-in with a foreigner who had stopped at Brawn on a trading ship. The boy unwisely decided to attempt to use his limited Latin vocabulary to converse with the woman. He had received a slap on the face and, after a lot of discussion he couldn't understand, was informed that he had told her that he had expressed a desire to tackle her to the ground and beat her over the head with a fish. Hiccup had never been more embarrassed in his entire life and Stoick had spent weeks informing those who heard the story that his son didn't have any frightening fetishes that _he_ knew of.

The residents of Brawn seemed to have forgotten that particular blunder. Hiccup was quite relieved; he didn't want Snotlout to hear about it. Kara emerged from her residence the moment the council had touched down. She directed most of the men and women to her Great Hall, where a meal had been prepared for them. She asked Hiccup and Astrid to stay behind for a moment.

"Our arena is located on the west side of the island. Our blacksmith has agreed to loan you some of our best weapons but he told me to tell you that if any of them get bloody, to clean them off before returning them." Kara grimaced a bit. "Since I imagine you'll be using some of them during the duel..."

Hiccup nodded once. "Tell him we'll do what he wants if that becomes necessary."

Astrid shuddered at the thought of having to clean her husband's blood off of _anything_ at this point. Frederik emerged from the chief's house carrying a baby and motioning for them to be quiet. For a moment, Hiccup and Astrid watched as he gently continued to rock the newborn when he got to his wife.

"Our daughter, Sigrid." she whispered so that the baby would not awaken.

Hiccup was strongly reminded of the woman named Sigrid who had lived on Berk... Adrianna had cried at her funeral. He thought it was cruel of the gods to remind him of that of his little girl's compassion at a time in which he wondered if he would even see her again. He stifled the memory as quickly as he could but it left him with an ache in his heart.

"How old is she?" Astrid was asking as Hiccup came back to reality.

"Two weeks. Everyone was telling me to take it easy and send someone in my place to your meeting but I felt fine and it seemed so urgent." Kara paused for a moment, staring at her baby. "I'm glad I did. You should have gotten more support. The thought of my daughter being abused like that..." her voice grew shaky and she trailed off rather than finish her thought.

Hiccup reached out and put a hand on the Meathead chief's upper arm in what he hoped was a kind gesture. "We really appreciate everything you've done for us." he tried to convey how much he meant his words but he felt oddly dead inside, similar to how he had felt just after Stoick died. He wondered if it was his heart's way of dealing with agonizing emotional pain.

"If you sit around and let the Berserkers do what they want, you won't change a thing." Kara shook her head, gently stroking her sleeping daughter's cheek. "What they're doing, it's not right."

"Well... what I'm doing is pretty stupid." Hiccup admitted with a half smile. "But desperate times call for desperate measures." he paused for a moment to let his own words sink in. "After we eat, I want to get started with training."

Kara nodded. "I'm sure you do. My brother Sven is about your size. I thought it might be best if you start out evenly matched." she gestured to the Great Hall. "But first things first. After the meal, I'll take you to the arena."

* * *

Kara wasn't kidding when she had said that Sven was Hiccup's size. The man was a little bit younger than the Hooligan chief but they were within an inch of the other's height. The Meathead had calm blue eyes, blonde hair, and freckles that dusted his face. He vaguely reminded Hiccup of a male Astrid but he knew that to voice this opinion was liable to get him a punch in the stomach considering the man's gangly appearance. The moment he caught sight of Hiccup, he excitedly bounded forward and extended a hand.

"I have heard so much about you!" he exclaimed with a big smile. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, you're like a legend around here. I can't believe I'm meeting you at last!"

Hiccup gave the man a weak smile and shook his hand. "You know, I'm really not that exceptional."

Sven eyed Hiccup critically for a moment. "What you're doing is exceptional. I have a stepson and I'm not even sure I could do for him what you're doing for your children."

"If you were in the same situation, I'm sure you would. You're from a good family." Hiccup patted the man's shoulder. "Now I don't know how much training you've done but I'm kind of hopeless at most of the bigger weapons."

Sven chuckled. "I know the feeling. But sometimes the lighter ones are all you need."

"Right." Hiccup said, picking up the nearest sword and barely glancing at it. "Dagur's right handed so... so I guess I'll fight that way too."

"Great. We'll both be fighting with the wrong hand then." Sven winked, putting the sword in his other hand. "Ready?"

Hiccup took a deep breath and nodded. Sven wasted no time in raising his sword and bringing it up to Hiccup's. The metal clashed loudly, a noise that startled them both, but they didn't let it stop them. The Hooligan chief felt slightly awkward holding the sword in his right hand but he knew that Dagur would never be willing to switch hands. Sven looked every bit as awkward but his eyebrows furrowed in determination as he blocked all of Hiccup's blows.

Both young men were excellent swordsmen and the fight went on for nearly twenty minutes. Hiccup had to duck to avoid Sven's blade multiple times but he soon began to predict the man's moves before he made them. They leaped, rolled, and ran around the arena, swords clashing so loudly their ears were beginning to ring. Finally, Hiccup found an opening. As Sven was dodging his previous swipe, he immediately jabbed the sword forward, causing the Meathead to fall backward. The Hooligan chief stepped over him and pointed the sword at his opponent's throat. He had won.

For the first time since arriving at Brawn, Hiccup was beginning to feel slightly confident in his abilities. He helped an impressed looking Sven to his feet.

"Not bad." Sven said gleefully, not caring that he had just been spectacularly defeated. "It's a good start."

"Yeah it is. But Dagur isn't a twig." a familiar voice exclaimed from the arena's entrance.

Hiccup turned to find Ruffnut, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Gobber, and Tuffnut walking in, all looking rather impressed with their chief's abilities. It had been Ruffnut who spoke and everyone silently agreed that she had a good point.

"He needs to fight someone with more experience handling different kinds of weapons." Fishlegs announced once the group had reached the middle of the arena. "A sword is only one weapon and as good as you are, you need to be familiar with just about everything. You never know what Dagur's going to use against you."

There was silence for a short while as everyone gave this some thought. "Let me try." Astrid spoke up, reaching into her satchel and pulling out a number of wooden axes. "I've been teaching Finn how to throw these. But you need them more than he does."

Hiccup eyed them cautiously for a moment before reaching out and taking a few. They were, thankfully, lighter than most axes but the weight distribution was about right. The others sat down on the edges of the arena while Astrid took a few steps away from her husband. Hiccup stood in the middle, unsure of what she was planning.

"You've got to learn how to hit a moving target." she declared, now hopping around and going in unpredictable directions. "And you have to learn how to dodge."

Hiccup had always felt like hitting his wife with weapon-like objects might be considered abuse if he had married someone other than Astrid. Never in his life had he appreciated her abilities more than he did as he chucked axe after axe at her and she leaped and rolled out of the way of all of them. After ten minutes of this, in which he had to run around and pick up the axes he had just thrown while dodging the ones Astrid had found, he had hit her seven times. She had hit him fifteen. Were they using real axes, he would have been killed within the first minute. All the confidence the bystanders had for the Hooligan chief seemed to seep out of them and waft away in the gentle breeze inside the arena. But this was nothing compared to how Hiccup was feeling.

"This is ridiculous." he growled as Astrid hit him for a sixteenth time. "How am I supposed to improve enough to kill Dagur in one day?"

"An attitude like that _will_ get you killed." Astrid rolled her eyes, barely dodging yet another axe thrown by her husband. "Don't doubt yourself even for a second. A second is all it'll take for Dagur to rip you limb from limb."

"Well gee, thank you for the mental image." Hiccup deadpanned, grunting as he leaped out of the way of Astrid's axe.

"Focus, Hiccup!" called someone from the outside but the young chief was far too preoccupied to care who had spoken.

On and on it went. Hiccup could feel bruises begin to develop thanks to the force of Astrid's axes. She wasn't being easy on him, he was grateful for that, but he was beginning to become increasingly frustrated. Dagur would not be so merciful as to avoid hitting Hiccup above the neck as Astrid at least attempted to do. One collision with an axe would have taken off his head had the blade not been rounded off. Even so, his throat was now throbbing and he fell backward, hitting the ground with his hands first. He found breathing more difficult for a few seconds.

"Get up!" Astrid shouted, pitching another axe at him, which hit him on the stomach. "I said _get up_!"

"Give me a second!" he called back, massaging his throat with one hand while trying to put his weight back on his foot and prosthetic.

"Do you think Dagur will give you a second if he knocks you down?" Astrid spat, lifting an axe above her head.

Something snapped inside of Hiccup. He grabbed both axes and threw them at Astrid's feet.

"You win!" he bellowed, finally getting to his feet. "All right? I'm hot, I'm tired, I'm beaten down. You win! Dagur wins. I don't know what I was thinking!" he took a few steps forward and kicked a different axe, sending it flying across the arena and narrowly missing Gobber.

Astrid's frustrated expression melted off of her face. "Hiccup..."

"No! Forget it! I might as well spend my last day on this planet getting my affairs in order!" Hiccup grabbed fistfuls of his own hair, yanking it so hard he could hear the strands snapping. It was completely silent in the arena as the young man took a few deep, shuddering breaths. "I can't do this." he mumbled.

"Yes you can."

Hiccup looked up at the distinctly male voice coming from the arena's side. Snotlout was standing up, giving his chief a hard stare.

"You're going to have a fighting chance against Dagur." he continued, striding forward and picking up an axe from the ground. "I might think your plan is completely ridiculous but you've had weirder ones before and they all seem to work out."

Was this really happening? Was Snotlout actually supporting him? Helping him? Hiccup was deeply touched but he knew that to say it would probably result in a fist in his stomach and with the bruises he developed there, he wasn't eager to irritate his skin any more. His former adversary tossed him the axe, which he caught.

"Your form is wrong." he said, coming too close for comfort. "Beginner's mistake. You want to shift your weight just right before throwing. Let me show you how to do it."

* * *

The moment Astrid finally asked Hiccup to stop hitting her with the wooden axes was one of the biggest breakthroughs of the day. But axe training had only been part of it. Hiccup had clubbed Snotlout over the head with a rubber mace. Rather than be upset with the chief, Snotlout smiled and nodded in approval. Archery went exceptionally well since Hiccup had a natural talent for the skill. He had hit nine out of the ten targets placed in front of him. He was soaked in sweat and panting by the time he had run through every single weapon they had.

The sun was beginning to set when the previously silent Thorston twins bounded forward with unnervingly delighted expressions.

"You may _think_ you know about all these weapons." Tuffnut began, melodramatically gesturing to the pile of used practice weapons. "But you're missing the most important one of all."

"His brain?" Fishlegs piped up, feeling a bit left out of the training session.

"No. Why would you hit someone with your brain? It wouldn't even bruise 'em! Plus you'd have to cut you head open first!" Ruffnut called, acting like this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's... that's... that's not what I meant." Fishlegs muttered, looking very sheepish.

"What I was _trying_ to say is that you're missing your body!" Tuffnut exclaimed, throwing his arms out in triumph as if expecting applause.

Six pairs of eyes rested on him and at least three eyebrows raised in confusion.

"You know, Tuffnut, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be bringing my body to the duel." Hiccup said, mostly to continue the conversation so he could see where the heck it was going to go.

"Oh well... yeah. Unless... what if you went as a ghost? How cool would that be?" Tuffnut turned to his sister, who looked just as excited about that possibility as he was.

"That would be awesome. Is there any way to make a ghost out of someone without killing them?" she looked hopefully at her husband who still looked dumbstruck at the suggestion.

"Guys, what... how... where is this going?" Hiccup stammered, more confused than he had ever been over the course of the day.

"Where indeed, Hiccup. Where indeed." Tuffnut gave him a very knowing glance as if he expected Hiccup to get the hint. Upon seeing his peer's abject confusion, he decided to be a bit clearer. "If you don't have any weapons, use _your_ weapons. Like this." the male twin suddenly punched the female across the face. As usual, Ruffnut retaliated by throwing her brother to the ground. Both looked gleeful at their exchange of abuse.

"Well... I didn't think I'd be saying this today but the twins are right." Hiccup snapped his fingers. "Dagur probably won't expect that. Guys!" he called, turning to face the twins, who had now started poking each other. "I need you to teach me to think like you."

"And _there's_ something I never thought I'd hear my husband say." Astrid muttered with an amused smirk.

"Mastery of this fine art cannot be taught in a day, young grasshopper." Tuffnut said in an incredibly dramatic tone, throwing his arm around Hiccup. "It must be experienced. _Feel_ the wind rushing through your hair as you leap forward to tackle someone to the ground." the man suddenly turned his face so that his mouth was mere centimeters from the Hooligan chief's ear. "Can you feel it? Can you _smell_ it?"

"Okay... this is already getting _very_ weird." Hiccup tried to shake the arm off but Tuffnut held on with a vice like grip.

"You have to _think_ like a fighter." Ruffnut continued. "Think like one and you will _become_ one."

Suddenly, before Hiccup had been given time to fully consider what he had gotten himself into, Tuffnut let him go and punched him on the chest so hard he stumbled backward.

"Ow! What... why would you _do_ that?" he gasped, massaging his ribs.

"You have to think like your opponent! Don't let him surprise you." Ruffnut said simply, looking as unsympathetic as it was possible to be.

Hiccup wasn't sure if he could think like a completely unhinged person but he could see her point. And so, quick as a flash before anyone could react, he spun around and kicked Snotlout on the shin with his prosthetic. Snotlout let out an indignant yell as the twins burst into applause.

"You're learning so fast!" Tuffnut's voice was thick with emotion.

"Dagur won't know what hit him!" Ruffnut exclaimed excitedly. "Well... until he looks up and sees your fist."

* * *

By the time the sun had set, everyone was exhausted. Kara had a feast prepared for them in the Great Hall, for which they were very grateful. Unfortunately, since Brawn was to be neutral territory, the Berserkers were required to be invited. And so, just as the meal was beginning, Dagur led his council through the Hall, all of them looking gleeful and excited about the next day's activities.

"You know, as last meals go, this one isn't so bad!" Dagur exclaimed after being uncharacteristically silent for several minutes after he seated himself a few feet away from where Hiccup was sitting.

Hiccup and Astrid glad that they wrote and ate with the opposite hand because it allowed them to hold hands almost all the time. As Dagur's words floated across the room, Astrid's left hand tightened around Hiccup's right. They knew that the Berserker chief was only trying to make Hiccup nervous. Though Dagur could not see his adversary's face, he knew he had succeeded when he saw the young man's hand tighten over his fork. Toothless gently nudged Hiccup's elbow, emitting a soft cooing noise in an attempt to comfort his frazzled human. His rider dropped the fork and immediately stroked his snout, trying to allow this small gesture to calm him down.

"Don't let him get to you." Gobber assured the Hooligan chief.

It was far too late to stop. Hiccup gritted his teeth and felt his appetite escape him. He heard the raucous laughter of the Berserkers seated behind him. His own council was tense and silent, allowing the dissonance of the hostile tribal members to permeate the Hall. When the agonizingly uncomfortable meal was over (punctuated by Dagur's loud, boastful comments about what he was going to do with Hiccup's family once he married Astrid), the Hooligans bolted out of the Great Hall like Terrible Terrors after a flash of light on the ground.

Kara had found numerous families willing to house the Hooligans during their stay. Fortunately for the Meatheads, Dagur and his men preferred to stay on their own ships. Hiccup and Astrid were to stay with Kara's family in Sigrid's bedroom. The baby's cradle had been moved into her parents' room for the night and a bed had been set up. It wasn't anywhere near as soft or comfortable as the one at home but it would have to do. The Meathead chief had even put a large rock in the room so that Toothless could sleep there. Stormfly opted to sleep in the sizable pen next to Kara's handsome male Nadder. Hiccup and Astrid might have found this amusing if they weren't so preoccupied.

The young couple decided to take a quick bath before going to bed, mostly to wash off the sweat they had accumulated thanks to the day's grueling activities. After they dried themselves off, they changed into their sleepwear in silence. They would be going to bed much earlier than they did at home but then again, most days didn't require them to rise at dawn. Even Astrid and Finn waited until the sun had risen to get out of bed. But there was no avoiding conversation as they realized that they were ready for bed.

Hiccup sat down, resting his head against the headboard. Astrid slid into bed next to him and put her arms around his chest.

"You can do this." she whispered, burying her face into his shirt and inhaling deeply. He smelled the way he always did, perhaps a bit cleaner, and she felt her muscles relax. "I know you can do this."

"Right." Hiccup breathed, feeling a tightness in his stomach. "I... I think I just want to go to bed."

Astrid nodded and gently let go of him so that she could blow out the bedside candle. The room was plunged into darkness and she felt her husband scoot down so that he was lying in the bed next to her. She lay down as well and felt his arm drape over her and pull her closer. If this was his last night he would ever have, Hiccup wanted to spend it holding the love of his life.

* * *

Astrid woke up quite suddenly, unsure of what had awakened her. She slid her arm across the bed, a spark of confusion forming in her mind. There was usually a warm body curled next to her, his arm thrown over her waist. There _had_ been one hours before when she had fallen asleep. She lifted and twisted her head to Hiccup's side of the bed, surprised to find it empty. Flipping over and searching further showed his form sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, face in his hands. She could see the goosebumps on his bare arms but he didn't seem to care. Astrid sat up and slid over to him, sliding her arms around his waist and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"You should get some more sleep…" her groggy voice murmured in his ear.

Hiccup lightly shook his head. "I can't."

"Hiccup…" she whispered, pushing his bangs off his forehead. "You have to…"

"I can't beat him."

Astrid stopped, anger growing inside her. "What, are you just going to give up?"

"No!" Hiccup cried in exasperation, his head shooting out of his palms. He looked at her incredulously, offended that she could even imply something like that. "Astrid, look at us both. Statistically I cannot do it-"

"You're not Fishlegs. Stop with the statistics-"

"Astrid, I can't… I don't…" Hiccup panted, the emotion clear in his voice. Astrid put off her upset expression and rested a hand on his chest. He continued in a voice just above a whisper, "I don't want to die."

Astrid shook her head, but he couldn't stop. "It's not fair! I just want to be with you, raise my children and I _can't_! Trista tried to steal Addie from me and I just barely got her back. Now Dagur is going to take _both_ of them from me! I can't just…"

"Shhhh…" Astrid pulled him around to face her.

Hiccup shook his head against her hands. "They're not even five! I'm going to die on the day before their birthday and they're going to grow up without me! They just lost my dad, they can't afford to lose me too!"

"They won't!" Astrid pulled his chin up to look in his eyes. "They won't. You are going to beat Dagur. You are going to be there for our children. They won't grow up without you."

"You don't know that…" Hiccup rasped, his eyes filling. He sniffed loudly and looked down at his hands. "My worst fear, my biggest nightmare is my children growing up without a parent. I had to go through that and it was the worst thing that ever happened. And you, even with both parents... the way your father treated you, it was like he wasn't there at all." he looked back up at her, tears running down his face. "I just… I... I can't bear the thought… I just want them to be safe but I never wanted to die to make it happen, to make them live the rest of their lives without me…"

"Hiccup, stop…" Astrid pushed his head into her shoulder as he cried, rocking him back and forth.

"I'm supposed t-to train Finn to tame dragons, to become chief one day, t-to teach him how to shave. I'm supposed to ch-chase boys away from my baby girl l-like every other father does. I'm supposed to walk her d-down the aisle… I can't be there for any of their finest most p-precious moments in life because of this. I... I'm supposed to be there for them!"

"Please stop…" Astrid whispered, holding a hand on the back of his head. Her throat constricted with every second he cried, every future moment they so badly wanted to have with their family, that they _should_ have with their family. "You will be there. You can't beat him if you tell yourself that you won't win."

"I'm not saying I'm not going to try, Astrid…" he mumbled from her shoulder. "I'm going to try with my every breath… but it's going to cost my very breath."

"No. Stop saying that…"

Hiccup sat up and held her face in his hands, his own wet, red and splotchy. "You need to tell them everything I ever wanted to. You need to teach them everything I always dreamed to…"

"Stop it! You're not preparing me to give them your final words because there will be _no_ final words!" Astrid cried desperately, shaking his arms. She blinked, tears streaming down her face. She pressed her lips to his in a wet kiss, stroking his cheeks with her fingers when she pulled away. "Your final words… won't happen now. You will die of old age, you will live long enough to carry your grandchildren around the island. You _will_ teach Finn how to shave and fight, you _will_ walk Adrianna down the aisle. You _will_ , Hiccup, because I'm telling you to."

Hiccup shook his head a little bit. "You're stubborn, but even you can't claim the future as if you know it."

Astrid leaned closer with a determined expression. "I will not be a widow." Hiccup gulped at the word, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "You're not going to leave me so easily. And not even Dagur can test that."

Hiccup's eyes welled up again, his brain wishing to believe her, but his heart remaining unconvinced. The odds were high—he would lose his family, his children, his wife… he would lose all of Berk to Dagur and he had been chief for less than a month. He had already lost his father… he couldn't do this.

"Why?" He gasped, his eyes closing tight. Astrid's arms closed around him as he cried. "Why does it have to be this way? _Why_?"

"Shh…" Astrid pressed him close to her chest, letting him cry. She gently trailed her fingers through his thick hair in the hopes that he'd relax and calm down. Hiccup tightened his hold on her waist, pressing himself closer to her as if it would solve their problems. He didn't want to leave her a widow when they'd been married less than ten years. He didn't want to leave his babies fatherless when they weren't even five years old. He didn't want to abandon his tribe without a chief, his friends leaderless, Toothless riderless…

The force of his body pressing against hers began to strain her stomach and back muscles in her attempt to stay sitting. Astrid finally stopped trying and slowly lay back on the pillows, letting Hiccup lay on top of her, his face buried in her chest, his tears soaking into her nightshirt. Whether she continued to stroke his hair for minutes or hours, she didn't know, but it was a long time before his breathing finally slowed, the tense muscles in his neck and shoulders relaxing.

Astrid threw the blankets from her side of the bed atop them as his skin felt chilled. She knew that he needed to sleep as much as possible in order to gather his strength for tomorrow. He wouldn't sleep long at all if he was cold.

Tomorrow.

The word buzzed through her consciousness like the static makes one's hair stand on end before a lightning strike. Goosebumps formed on her arms and she felt cold. She tightened her hold on Hiccup's back, willing and praying to the gods to keep him alive tomorrow. There was so much more they had to do.

She just wanted more time. She wanted one more romantic date to tell him how much she loved him. She wanted one more race on Toothless and Stormfly to pass the time. She wanted one more dinnertime meal to spend with her family, the four of them together. She wanted one more training exercise with the team together with Hiccup as their leader. She wanted one more… one more…

But she had learned years ago that sometimes, no matter how hard you want something, no matter how big or small, how relevant or important, you don't always get what you want. No, life had better plans to throw at its victims. She and Hiccup had their fair share of curve-balls, of wrenches thrown into their life plans. They had hoped that after everything with Trista had blown over, life could return to normal.

No. That was wishful thinking. And now, Hiccup's life waned in the balance for their wishful thinking, their hopeful dreams and aspirations of a simple, normal life. They were Haddocks. Their lives would never be normal. Their lives were shaped and molded by the struggles they faced.

Now the only question was… if Hiccup's dreaded expectations, his worst fear, came true… how would she ever tell her children that their daddy was gone? How would they ever move on? How would they cope? How would the lives of her little ones be shaped by the loss of their father, their hero?

Astrid didn't know. She couldn't fathom a day without Hiccup by her side. He was her rock in the hardest of storms, her security blanket, her best friend. She didn't know what she would do without him, let alone how to deal with facing their children every day…

She prayed for an answer. She grappled in her mind for a way out of this, a way to save her husband from uncertain death, to save her children from a fatherless life… sleep finally overtook her in the early hours of the morning.

But she still had no answer.

* * *

Smoke. Heat. Screams. Metal clashing. A horribly familiar laugh.

Hiccup couldn't see anything through the thick smoke. He could hardly draw breath as he felt his home burning around him. The cries of children echoing in his head, of his little girl sobbing and calling for him, of his little boy's labored breathing and whimpering as his strength finally gave out and he fell victim to the raging fire. His wife began to wail with the realization that they no longer had a son, that their daughter would surely be the next to fall. The little girl screamed his name over and over but his body would not move. He was powerless to help, powerless to protect his family, his village.

He fell to his knees, shutting his eyes tight and putting his hands over his head. The screams, the licking flames, Dagur's triumphant cackle... everything echoed inside of his mind, bleeding together in a cacophony of noise.

And then, as suddenly as it had started, everything went quiet. Except it wasn't completely silent. It was like the sensation he had when he lay upside down in his bed as a child. The steady, soothing heartbeat inside of his head, calming the senses. His mind became blank as the sounds could no longer reach him. He finally relaxed.

A hand gently rested on his shoulder. "That isn't going to happen, son."

It was a voice he had heard more times than he could possibly count. A voice that had always assured him that there was hope even in the darkest moments. But it was a voice that could no longer reach him. A voice that was impossible to hear again... yet there it was.

Hiccup lifted his head and stared at the speaker, the features blurred thanks to the tears that slipped down his face. But there was no denying the speaker's impossible presence.

Even so, he had to be certain.

He took a deep, shuddering breath. At first the word wouldn't come out of his mouth. He hardly dared hope that this was real. But his voice finally returned to his throat.

"Dad?"


	13. Message From Valhalla

It had to be a trick. An illusion. The vast man's features were blurred with the amount of tears in Hiccup's eyes and try as he might, he could not make them stop. There was an ache in his heart, a desperate longing for this to be true, to be happening.

And then it hit him. It was a dream. Hiccup tended to remember his dreams and often had great fun telling them to his children. But lucid dreams were rare. And this... this was _definitely_ a dream. He could almost feel Astrid's body pressing up against his... but he could also feel the hand on his shoulder. See his father standing next to him.

Stoick reached down and lifted Hiccup to his feet. He was wobbly and something felt distinctly... off. But he couldn't figure out what it was because he wouldn't take his eyes off of his father's face. It was exactly how he remembered it, the wild red hair, the twinkling grayish blue eyes, the wrinkles he had developed in age... Stoick the Vast was standing before him, reaching out from beyond the grave.

How was he supposed to react? He was angry at his father for leaving him just before everything fell apart. He was joyful to be in his presence again. He was completely beaten down yet feeling every bit as hopeful. His conflicting emotions finally bubbled to the surface and he let out a laughing sob and collapsed into his father's arms, not at all caring that this was a dream.

"If I'd have known you'd have this many feelings, I wouldn't have come." Stoick quipped, giving the young man a bone crushing hug that almost hurt as much as the ones he'd received when his father was alive.

Hiccup chuckled weakly, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He wasn't wearing his night shirt. He appeared to be in his green tunic. And as he looked down, he realized with a jolt that not only was he barefoot, he had _two_ feet again. He lifted his left leg and wiggled his toes. It was a bizarre yet oddly familiar sensation.

"Well... that's different." he remarked before turning to look at his father once more. "Dad, I... you're not... how..."

"You needed me." Stoick replied, his voice every bit as gruff and manly yet kind and gentle as always.

"But... this is a dream." Hiccup sniffed and blinked away the last of his tears.

"Yes, son, it is. But whether or not it's a dream doesn't matter. Sometimes all you need to do is say the words you needed to say, whether or not anyone is listening." Stoick kept a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.

Hiccup wanted to cry again. He wanted to blurt out everything he had been feeling and thinking over the last few days, Hel, the last few _weeks_ but the words wouldn't come. All he could do was stare at Stoick, mouth hanging open. It was like performance anxiety. Like he knew exactly what he would say if he could see his father again but now that he did, his mind was blank.

He looked around at their surroundings. They were in the cove. It was a warm, sunny day, tranquil and peaceful. Probably late in the afternoon. He took a few steps forward, enjoying the sensation of the sand between his toes. All ten of them. Finally, he sat down on a log and stared into the pond. He could see a few fish hopping out of the water, causing ripples on its skin that collided with each other and created tiny waves on the bank. Toothless would love it there but he was nowhere to be found. Hiccup picked up a stick and began to absentmindedly doodle in the sand.

Finally, he looked up at his father, who was now seated next to him. "Why?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. "Why did you have to leave me?"

Stoick patted Hiccup on the back, somehow managing to remember that the young man didn't appreciate being thrown forward into his own doodles. "Sometimes things happen for no reason."

"But I didn't even get to say goodbye." Hiccup muttered, blinking rapidly to push down more tears.

Stoick laughed. It was a wonderful sound that filled the cove and gave Hiccup a tiny spark of pure joy. "It's all right. Goodbyes, they're not all they're cracked up to be."

Hiccup shook his head. "Still... I would have liked to have given you one."

"I know. That's one reason I came." Stoick replied thoughtfully.

Hiccup paused for a moment. "Are you real?"

"I don't know." Stoick stroked his beard, something he only did if he was deep in thought. "Either this is an elaborate dream from your own mind or the gods are being generous. What do you think?"

"You've never been so mysterious, dad. Are there rules in Valhalla against giving straight answers?" a small smile tugged at the corners of Hiccup's mouth.

"You're one to talk. Sometimes getting a straight answer out of you took most of my mental energy!" Stoick smiled widely.

There was a long silence. Hiccup continued to draw on the ground, his arm moving almost automatically. The moments of sitting in silence with his father had always bothered him when he was young. He had so dearly wanted to say something, wanted a conversation that wouldn't be shut off after a few sentences. But now they were comforting. He felt less tense but there was a conflicting feeling in his heart, half joy and half terrible sadness.

"You're doing the right thing, son." Stoick said after a few minutes, patting Hiccup on the back again. "It may not seem like it. But you know it's what I would have done."

Hiccup turned to face his father again. Stoick had said things like this before but there was something deeply genuine in the way he said those words. Like he had come back from the grave just to say them. Just to tell his son to stop doubting himself.

"Why?" Hiccup asked. "Even I don't know what I'm doing or all the reasons why... I just feel like this is the right thing to do. Even if no one else does."

"You always were crazy enough to do what you wanted regardless of what anyone thought." Stoick chortled. "But it's not so much about the kids as it is about the integrity of Berk itself."

Hiccup was confused for a moment... but then it clicked. His father wouldn't have fought just for the safety of Finn and Adrianna. He would have done it to show that Berk would never back down. No matter what the cost. He would have fought because it would discourage others from trying to take down the whole tribe. If Berk wouldn't stand up for its most vulnerable and helpless, how would it ever stand up for anything?

"I have to win." Hiccup mumbled, his eyebrows furrowing and his hand tightening around the stick. "Everything rides on this. I can't let them down."

Stoick looked down at the drawings in the sand. "You won't." he said, pointing to them and looking back up at Hiccup. "And I think you know that."

Hiccup followed his father's pointer finger with his eyes and finally caught sight of the image in the sand. Without knowing it, he had drawn two young adults, one man and one woman, standing next to each other and looking up at him. The woman was slim, beautiful, but even the portrait in the dirt showed that she was happy, joyful, calm, and collected. The man was confident, tall, proud but handsome, strong, and brave. Hiccup almost felt like he knew them... and then he realized that he did. The woman had his eyes, Astrid's hair, tiny hands... she was his little girl all grown up. The man looked like a much younger Stoick but the round eyes were Astrid's while the hands were shaped more like his. This was his son, his little man finally becoming what he had always knew that he would be one day. These portraits in the dirt were almost the gods telling him that it wasn't hopeless... His kids could grow up to live happy lives one day. If he succeeded.

"She has your eyes." Stoick remarked fondly. "And he looks _very_ familiar."

Hiccup chuckled. "That's because he looks like you. Seems your genes skipped a generation."

The young father continued to stare into the face of his grown-up children. In the passing moments, he saw more details, such as the roundness of the woman's face and the way the man's hair stuck up like Stoick's would sometimes when he let it down. He thought of the little children he had left behind. Could they grow into these people if he wasn't there? If he didn't teach them how to tame dragons or nurture their hidden talents... would they be strong and fearless without their father? No. Astrid had grown up without a father's love and as much as Hiccup loved her, he could still see the longing in her eyes. The desperate desire for a love she would never receive.

"I need to win." he repeated, gritting his teeth in fierce determination. "For them. For Astrid. For Berk."

Stoick's smile widened. " _That's_ the man I raised."

Hiccup suddenly felt something warm yet oddly jarring on his chest. There were muffled sounds coming from somewhere other than the cove. Sniffles and quiet sobs. A woman was crying. For a moment, father and son listened to the sounds in silence. And then Hiccup felt his father's hand on his shoulder again.

"It's about time you went home. She's your family now." Stoick gestured to the drawings in the dirt. " _They're_ your family now."

"But... you're here. There just isn't enough time." Hiccup sighed, feeling guilty for wanting to stay.

"You don't need me anymore, Hiccup. I told you the last time I saw you that I was proud of you. And I am. I always will be." Stoick gently pushed Hiccup so that he was standing up now. "A day will come when you'll be saying something like this to your children. And when it does, I hope that you'll be as confident in them as I am in you."

The cove was beginning to dissolve, Stoick's voice beginning to echo like a long, half-forgotten memory. Hiccup's heart constricted as he felt himself being pulled back into reality, into a world without his father.

"Give Dagur my regards." Stoick continued, winking as his face began to disappear. "And tell my grandchildren I love them."

"I will. But... what if Dagur kills me? Does it hurt?" Hiccup asked, voicing the question he had contemplated for most of his life.

"Death? No. It's like falling asleep after a long, grueling day. But if Dagur does win, you'll be getting all that time with me that you wanted a minute ago."

"No offense," Hiccup said, smiling at his father's steadily fading face, "but I guess I don't want it yet."

As the cove and Stoick disappeared, the young man could still hear his father laughing. He opened his eyes, the smile still on his face. True, he was nervous, even terrified, about the outcome of the duel. But he also knew now that he was doing the right thing. Even if his father really was a dream, a creation of his subconscious mind, he knew that was exactly what Stoick would say to him if he did return, if only for a short while.

Astrid, as usual, had awakened before he had. He could feel her arms around him, her face buried in his chest, her body heaving with quiet sobs. It seemed that she had finally realized what he had the previous night. That this may well be his last day. He had never heard or felt her cry like that. Like she was expecting her heart to rip into pieces in a few hours' time. He shifted and she pulled away slightly to look at him. He gently lifted his hand and wiped away a few of her tears with his thumb.

"It's going to be okay." he whispered.

Astrid sniffed. "You don't know that."

"Yes I do. You're Astrid. You can make it okay." he brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I love you."

Astrid leaned forward and kissed him, savoring the softness of his lips and the warmth of his body against hers. It ended far too soon.

"We have to get up if we're going to get to the arena by dawn." Hiccup muttered, his heart beginning to flutter uncomfortably.

Astrid nodded and slowly rolled over so that she could rise from the bed. It made a creaking noise as the couple stood up at the same time. Toothless woke up, his wide green eyes darting around the room almost like he knew his human was in danger. Hiccup stepped forward and stroked the dragon's snout. The Night Fury cooed concernedly as, behind them, Astrid changed into her day clothes. She put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"I'm going to go make breakfast." she whispered, kissing him on the top of the head.

"You don't have to do that." Hiccup said, lovingly looking up at her.

"Yeah... yeah I do. I'll see you in a few minutes." she immediately left the room, clearly in need of some time alone.

Hiccup patted Toothless' head one last time before turning around and changing into his flight suit. As he slid on the leather riding suit, Mr Gobcup nearly slid out of it onto the ground. He tucked it back in and secured it over his heart. Then, seeing one of the smaller practice axes lying on the ground, he picked it up and strapped it to his leg underneath his pants. He was ready to go, except for a thin coat made of leather he would put on over the upper half of his flight suit for a little extra protection. As he secured the small axe to his leg, his fingers lingered on its hilt.

"One day you won't need me to protect you, little man." he whispered fondly, picturing his son's face. "I'm going to show you how to protect others. The village, the dragons, everyone. One day it will be _you_ standing up to our enemies. And I'm going to be _so_ proud of you. More than anything, I want to watch you become the strong man I know you will be."

He sat up straight and put a hand over the doll strapped to his chest, firmly picturing his daughter's face this time. "You are the most fragile gift I have ever received." he gently patted the strap containing the doll. "One day you won't be so fragile. Until then, it's my job to protect you. I want to show you how to use that incredible compassion for the good of the village. I want to watch you turn into the beautiful, confident woman I know you'll be one day."

His heart felt uncomfortably heavy as he stood up and put on his leather coat. He wasn't quite used to it yet but he needed an extra layer for protection and because he simply didn't want Dagur to see his daughter's doll. It was odd but it felt like it was his way of protecting her and Finn even from far away. He wondered if they were sleeping now. Adrianna would probably have tossed and turned most of the night but she tended to fall asleep before dawn no matter how miserable she felt. Finn was probably asleep but not for much longer. The young father wanted to check on them one more time. To pull up their covers so that they were warmer, to watch them sleeping peacefully, Adrianna clutching Snowy and Mr. Gobcup and Finn snoring quietly... he just wanted more time. Each minute he spent with them was precious and even now, he feared that he had spent them all. He was thankful that he had gone out of his way to spend as much time as possible, to rock them to sleep and bandage their cuts, to wipe their tears and hold them tight when they were feeling scared. And now he would either kill or be killed for them in a matter of hours.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Right now wasn't about how things should have been or what ought to have been what might have been. It was about what things were, the reality that Hiccup was likely to be slain. He hoped that, at the very least, he would bring Dagur down with him.

He finally decided to go downstairs to see his wife again. When he and Toothless were at the bottom of the stairs, they caught sight of Astrid sitting at the table, holding Sigrid and watching Kara and Frederik prepare a far too extravagant meal for an ordinary day. They were nearly finished when Hiccup arrived and the four of them ate in complete silence, the Hooligan chief occasionally tossing his dragon a fish.

As they got up from the table, Kara turned to face Hiccup. "I read over the laws again this morning. They're pretty standard, that the duel cannot begin until the gong is sounded and how no one is allowed to help. But there is one that is sort of alarming." she sighed deeply and put a hand on Toothless' snout. "Animals are permitted in the duel as weapons but they're not allowed to be used unless they're necessary. I guess it's something about wanting the chiefs to show their skill without any assistance before allowing them to use their animals. Or maybe it's just to keep things simple. I'm not entirely sure. Toothless and the Skrill won't be allowed into the arena unless one or both of you are rendered incapable of walking on your own."

Hiccup looked down at his dragon, who was eyeing him with concern. The bottom seemed to drop out of his stomach. "So I have to injure Dagur's leg so I can use Toothless?"

Kara nodded."That's the idea. Or let him injure yours."

The Hooligan chief looked down at his remaining foot. "I guess I could get used to not having feet."

Kara smiled at Hiccup's apparent decision to remain optimistic. Astrid walked up to her husband and grabbed his hand. She didn't let go until they had arrived in the arena.

* * *

The Meathead arena had once played host to numerous dragon killing events. Now that the dragons were welcomed on Brawn, it didn't get nearly as much use. However, the bars separating those on the outside with those on the inside remained strong and immovable. Even if they wanted to, the Hooligans and their dragons would not be able to enter the arena until the duel was over. The dragons were placed in separate pens, a Hooligan and a Berserker standing guard on the inside, ready to open it if they were needed. Toothless put up a fuss at being separated from his human but eventually was shoved into the pen and shut in with a councilwoman named Runa. A Berserker whose name Hiccup didn't know was placed with the Skrill in the pen across the arena. Both council members had their hands on a rope, ready to pull on it to let the dragons out at a moment's notice.

The moment Hiccup arrived, a hush fell over the crowd of Berserkers, Meatheads, and Hooligans. The sun's rays were barely visible over the horizon but dawn was nearly upon them. Astrid let go of Hiccup's hand for a moment so that he could secure his weapons to his flight suit. Gobber wordlessly helped him with this task. When they were finished, he put a hand on the young chief's shoulder.

"Your father would be very proud of you, Hiccup." he said solemnly. "And so am I."

"Thank you." Hiccup allowed himself a tiny smile.

Gobber patted his shoulder. "Knock him dead, Hiccup."

He walked off as the chief put on a helmet to prevent his head from cracking open if it was pushed down on the hard floor of the arena. He turned around to see Snotlout standing in front of him, not quite making eye contact and wringing his hands in front of his stomach.

"Look, about what I said at the meeting... I didn't mean... I just don't... I'm sorry, okay?" the man's voice was trembling but his expression remained firm.

All the residual anger Hiccup might have been feeling left him at once. "I understand. I don't like what you did but I get why you did it."

"You just... you have to win. Because Dagur's cool and all but he'd make a terrible chief for us. And those kids..." he sighed. "They don't deserve that. They're good kids, you know?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah. They're good kids."

Snotlout smiled for a split second and then immediately walked away and sat down on the outside of the arena with the rest of the council. All but one.

Astrid had waited until the others had said their last words to Hiccup, walking by and patting him on the shoulder or shaking his hand. Not one of them, except for Gobber, looked hopeful. Once the others had settled in, she walked up to her husband, tears spilling down her face.

"Hiccup..." she choked out before he pulled her in for a hug. He could feel her trembling against him, clutching his flight suit the way Adrianna had before they left. "You are _not_ going to die."

Hiccup pulled away slightly so he could look into her eyes, keeping his arms tightly wrapped around her waist. She was still crying quietly, the tears streaming down her face and onto her shirt. He leaned down and kissed her tear stained cheek, relishing the softness of her skin and the taste of salt that remained on his lips when he pulled away. He gently reached up and pushed her bangs away from her eyes.

"I love you." he whispered, kissing her forehead now. "Don't you ever forget that."

She shook her head. "Don't." she replied in a voice barely over a whisper.

"I will _always_ love you."

Astrid let out a small, stifled sob. "Please don't do this."

"Astrid..."

"You're going to be okay." she assured him, tightening her grip on him.

"Tell them I love them too. Every second. Until they get tired of hearing it. And then tell them again." he murmured softly.

Astrid lightly shook her head. "You tell them. Because you're not going anywhere."

"Listen," Hiccup reached up and cupped her chin. "If Dagur kills me-"

" _Don't say that!_ "

Hiccup kissed her on the forehead again. "Let him marry you. And then kill him. You'll be able to take back Berk. You'll be chief over Berserker Island. You have to do this for me."

"No. _You're_ going to kill him. I know you will. For Berk. For us." she reached up and stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. "Because if you don't, I'm never going to be able to move on."

"You will because that is what you have to do. You are the most focused, most brilliant, most diligent woman I have ever met. For our babies, you can do anything. For me, you can do _everything_." he whispered, leaning in so closely that his warm breath brushed up against her hair and tickled her forehead.

Suddenly she stopped stroking his cheek with her hand and lightly punched him in the stomach. He grinned widely, his eyes beginning to burn uncomfortably.

"That's for the suicide mission." she said, a tiny smile on her lips.

They both knew what was coming next. Hiccup placed one hand behind Astrid's head, threading his fingers through her impossibly soft hair. The other he kept on her waist, drawing her in closer. She put both her hands on his face, her thumbs wiping away the fresh tears beginning to rain from his emerald green eyes. They both leaned in and felt their lips meet in a gentle caress which caused tidal waves of shivers to sweep through their bodies. The salt from their tears moistened their lips but they did not break apart, would not allow anything to come between them. Astrid felt her body weaken, a soaring feeling deep within her from the passion of the embrace but her heart squeezed in agony at the thought of allowing her husband to let her go. Hiccup held her up as he felt her weight shift slightly. He couldn't let this moment end. But end it did as they finally broke apart, her hands moving down his chest and back to his waist and his remaining where they had been, one gently stroking her hair and the other pulling her closer.

"That was f-for..." Astrid paused, her voice strangled as a waterfall of fresh tears poured down her face. She forced her voice through. "...for everything else."

Hiccup chuckled softly through his tears, not bothering to try to stop them. He could hear a hush fall over the arena as the time for the duel came closer. He knew he had to let her go. He knew it was over, that the only way he would have her back in his arms would be to win, to _kill_ Dagur. He would emerge from this either dead or a changed man. This was his last moment with her as he was, as someone who valued life enough to spare it at all costs. But not today.

The sun's rays were beginning to produce a dim light in the arena, casting strange shadows across its floor and its occupants. Hiccup and Astrid could hear Dagur strutting into the ring behind them, sighing loudly in anticipation.

The time had come for the couple to break apart. The time for the duel was upon them.


	14. To the Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters from the whole series. And you'll see why soon! Thank you, EmmerzK for writing the duel so amazingly!

Hiccup set his left hand on the pommel of his sword before picking up his Gronckle Iron shield. He still wasn't used to holding his weapons with the opposite hand. Yesterday's grueling practice thankfully gave him some familiarity, but if he survived this he vowed he would never fight with his right again.

Before exiting the tunnel entrance, he gave Astrid one last kiss. His heart pounded when he pulled away and the fear in her eyes wasn't lost on him. But she was determined as well. He prayed he would be as strong as she.

The moment was broken when Dagur cleared his throat loudly. "You realize we are supposed to be fighting _before_ the sun comes up, right?"

Hiccup lightly brushed Astrid's bangs out of her eyes, stroked her cheekbone, and abruptly walked into the arena. The lump in his throat broadened with each step and he continuously tried to swallow it down. He finally lifted his head and stood tall, facing his opponent, his rival. His mortal enemy.

"Don't feel bad," Dagur droned, teeth gleaming in the dusk. "Your trip to Valhalla will be glorious. If it makes you feel better, I could kill Astrid as soon as I'm finished with you. She would put up a fight big enough to earn herself a warrior's position. Then she could join you."

A surge of anger spiked through Hiccup's chest and suddenly, he wanted to hit him. Fueling his adrenaline, he forced into his mind every bad word, every attack, every single time Dagur tried to hurt him from the time he was a little boy up until he was an adult. Suddenly he felt ready. In his mind's eye he saw the fearful looks his children had given him before he left. He imagined the future they would have if Dagur killed him. That future couldn't happen. Not on his watch. He didn't know how he was going to win. He still was unsure if it was possible. But he'd be cursed forever if he didn't try.

"Your face is splotchy. Been crying have we? You never really were a real man anyway." Dagur taunted with a mild chuckle.

Hiccup gripped the strap of his shield angrily. "Real men aren't afraid to show love and devotion, Dagur. But you wouldn't understand what that means."

"Real men shouldn't show weakness." Dagur retorted. "Unfortunately you have been showing weakness since the day you were born. Small, weak, helpless. You were never even meant to be a real man. I think the gods got you confused."

Hiccup felt his neck and ears burn with his anger. He tried to cap it; he didn't want to be unfocused when the fighting started. But he let the emotion surge through his blood, his limbs beginning to shake in anticipation. The adrenaline pumping through his body would only make him stronger. While Dagur rambled, he was only giving Hiccup more time to prepare. Every second counted after all.

Kara and Frederik stood at the head of the arena from their seats, grasping each other's hands tightly. Dagur continued to fire insults at Hiccup while the rest of the group's eyes turned upward to the neutral party.

The Meathead chief pressed her lips tightly together to wait for Dagur to stop talking for three seconds. He never did, so she finally shouted, "Fighters ready!"

Hiccup backed up a few steps, drawing his sword and facing Dagur. Dagur followed suit, a wide, confident smirk on his face. The Berserker didn't even have a shield with him. His suit was decked in daggers big and small, a sharp hatchet was strapped to his left shoulder and his sword hung from its scabbard at his left hip. His armor rattled as he moved and his helmet seemed to be his only smart form of protection. Still, Hiccup gulped.

Kara closed her eyes for a moment before raising her voice strongly. "May the best chief win. Good luck." A mere beat later, the gong sounded…

* * *

The Hooligans were rarely up before the sun. People like Stoick sometimes rose that early but most stayed in their beds until they could see daylight in their windows. Ordinarily, the village square was completely silent and still in the early hours of the morning. But this morning was different. This morning, the chief of their village might lose his life and no one would know the outcome until the afternoon if they were lucky.

Without saying a word to anyone else, almost everyone in the village made a silent decision to go to the Great Hall and pray for their chief. To beg the gods to spare his life and to give him the strength to take Dagur's.

Among the throng of silently praying Vikings were the children for whom Hiccup was fighting. Neither slept well the previous night and both were awake well before dawn. Adrianna barely stopped crying since her parents had left. No amount of words or comfort could make her stop. That morning, she continued to cry as silently as she could, stifling each hiccup as they came.

As usual, Finn had reacted differently. He had become reclusive since his parents had flown away. He would sit for hours and stare out into space, his eyes wide with fear. This vaguely reminded Lotus of Hiccup's catatonic state after everything with Adrianna but Finn wasn't completely gone. He would speak if he was spoken to and he reacted to his environment. He simply wanted to be alone.

The twins' sole remaining grandparent worried about how the children would cope with losing their father. The very idea terrified them so much they could hardly function. There was still hope. There was still a chance that Hiccup would survive and protect his family and his village. A chance... but that wasn't enough to assure the terrified children. Hope could only get them so far.

The Great Hall had never been so full yet so quiet. Scraping chairs, footfalls, breathing... every sound permeated the Hall and seemed to be magnified. Adrianna's hiccups reverberated around the confined space yet no one had the heart to speak to her. To comfort her.

No one, that is, except Erick.

The boy had always been shy and calm, emotional when he was pushed but easygoing and relaxed most of the time. Adrianna was outgoing and friendly, a startling contrast to her best friend, but both were sensitive. They seemed to understand each other on a deep level that no one else could reach. They instinctively knew how the other was feeling. And more importantly, they knew what the other needed.

Erick walked up to Adrianna and wordlessly put his arms around her. She let out a muffled sob and buried her face into his shoulder. Several of the Hooligans turned their heads to watch the two of them for a moment before resuming their prayers.

Heather noticed the pair of them out of the corner of her eye but focused her gaze on Finn. The boy was sitting down and staring at his boots. His shoulders were hunched and his expression completely blank. She carried Inga over and sat down next to him, allowing the toddler to sit in her lap. Even Inga seemed to feel the tension in the room. She curled into her mother's arms and shut her eyes, becoming very still. Heather put her hand on Finn's back and gently rubbed it.

"You'll be okay, little man." she whispered to him.

Finn didn't move. He acted like he didn't even know Heather was there. After a few minutes of agonizing silence, Inga's eyes opened. She reached down patted Finn's shoulder with her tiny hand. He looked up at her and she smiled widely at him. After a moment, he smiled back.

The sun was beginning to rise, signaling the dawn of a new day. Hundreds of Vikings prayed more fervently with every minute. It all depended on Hiccup now. Their village was in his hands.

* * *

The slam of metal against metal jolted Hiccup's bones when their swords met. Dagur drove him backwards, swinging his sword with a strength and ferocity unmatched to his fellow Hooligans. But he blocked and parried each blow with his own weapon and shield, unwilling to be taken down so quickly.

Dagur cackled with each swipe of his weapon, sure his adversary would be dead in mere minutes. Hiccup was backing up toward the wall so easily, it was as if he wanted to die! He wasn't putting up much of a fight, he was merely working defensively! He would never stop attacking and Hiccup would never win if all he did was protect his thin, weak frame. Yes, Berk was practically in his clutches. Those little brats would soon be his, as would the Night Fury and the beautiful wench Hiccup called a wife.

"Come on, stabilize yourself!" A man's voice shouted from the Hooligans' side. Dagur knew it to be that Snotfaced man. Hiccup gritted his teeth and met Dagur's sword with his, this time keeping the weapons together in a tight block. He also forced his heel and prosthetic into the cobblestone, willing himself to stand firm.

Dagur soon found himself stepping backwards. He grinned. "You're a fool if you think you can defeat me!"

Hiccup then shoved him backwards a few feet. Before Dagur could say a word, Hiccup had lunged forward with his sword slicing towards his ribs. Dagur barely deflected the blow before another came his way. Dagur gritted his teeth, surprised at Hiccup's sudden fierce fighting skills. The pipsqueak never had been a good fighter… so where was this coming from?

Dagur blocked Hiccup's sword above their heads before snatching a thin dagger from his belt. Hiccup jerked backwards when the blade nearly dug into his chin in a fast uppercut. Dagur slid the blade back down and sliced Hiccup's left arm. He jerked, forcing Dagur back and leaving a few feet between them. From the corner of his eye, he knew he was bleeding. They had been fighting for only a few minutes and the first blood had already been drawn. _His_ blood.

Dagur cackled at Hiccup's pause. "Too tired already? Ready to forfeit those brats and your tribe?"

Hiccup smirked as he talked and pushed a button on his shield. Dagur's eyes widened at the last second as he remembered; the centerpiece flew forward and wrapped around his torso. Dagur struggled until Hiccup yanked him forward. He soon felt Hiccup's stronger right knee smashing into his nose, making him howl in unexpected pain. The Hooligans cheered in satisfaction until Dagur broke the cord, swiping Hiccup's legs out from under him.

Hiccup's back slammed into the cobblestone, knocking the air out of him. Dagur stood over him, sword in hand and Hiccup's eyes widened. He barely blocked Dagur's blade over his face in time, his hand shaking at the force. He needed to lose the shield. As unwise as that was, he needed both hands.

He knew his weaker arm wouldn't hold out forever and by Dagur's hardened expression, he took Hiccup seriously now. No more games; he was going to come out swinging from here on out. Gritting his teeth at the stalemate, Hiccup broke eye contact to see Dagur's legs standing on either side of his. A burst of Tuffnut inspiration came to mind and he threw his right leg up and around the outside of Dagur's leg. The other man's pressure on his sword let up for a second as Hiccup pressed his heel into Dagur's left hip joint.

"What-" Dagur gasped when Hiccup pulled him backwards, throwing him off balance.

Tuffnut's voice suddenly screeched from the sidelines. "HE'S WIDE OPEN!"

A short spurt of empathy flew from Hiccup's consciousness as he raised his prosthetic and slammed it into Dagur's groin. The man screamed in a high pitched voice as he toppled backwards. Hiccup wasted no time in getting to his feet and dropping his shield. The Hooligan twins roared in satisfaction at their prodigy's epic fighting skills, but Hiccup paid them no heed. He slammed his blade down toward Dagur, but the Berserker managed to block his blow. And then he did something that Hiccup never forgot.

He punched Hiccup's left leg.

White hot pain shot through Hiccup's consciousness and his eyes pricked. He crumpled in a heap with a cry of pain he hadn't cried in years. Astrid yelped when Dagur made his way to his feet. "Get up! HICCUP GET UP!" She cried, slapping the metal bars keeping her from her husband.

Hiccup bit his lip and rolled to his left, Dagur's blade scraping loudly against the pavement where he previously lay. Dagur jumped forward and stomped on his blade, trapping it under his boot. He then pulled Hiccup up by the collar of his vest. His blood from the hit to the nose splattered on Hiccup's armor as he spat, "Are you going to cry? Too much pain to your little leg?"

"Try losing a leg and feel a hit like that, Dagur." Hiccup spat back. "In fact, let me help you understand the feeling." Dagur failed to notice Hiccup stealing a blade from his belt, and when the Hooligan suddenly twisted in his grip and shoved it into his thigh, he screamed in pain. Hiccup fell back to the ground and quickly tried to sit up. Dagur, still screaming in rage, punched Hiccup in the face. The Hooligan chief saw stars for a minute before Dagur kicked him in the stomach. The force of the kick sent Hiccup reeling across the cobblestone, but he managed to sit on his knees while gasping for breath.

He watched in horror as Dagur yanked the blade out of his thigh, flung the blood across the pavement and then expertly threw the dagger right at Hiccup's face. Hiccup threw all his body weight into his sword, barely managing to knock the dagger away and save his face. Gobber's grip on the iron bars tightened, the metal groaning against the hinges in his angst. Astrid dragged her fingers through her hair, her eyes never leaving the fight.

Hiccup gasped, shocked for a moment that he actually deflected the blade before Dagur was on him again. He had his hatchet in his left hand, his sword in his right. Hiccup instantly rolled to the right when Dagur swiped his hatchet and armed himself with a dagger that had been hidden in his boot. His left leg groaned from under him but he forced himself to stay standing. He wouldn't be mauled in front of everyone because his leg gave out on him.

Dagur limped after him as he backed up, both searching for an opening. Dagur forced out a heavy breath through hissed teeth. "You do realize you could save us both a lot of pain by just handing the brats over."

"Thought you were going to enjoy killing me, Dagur!"

"Oh I am! I am enjoying this _immensely_!" Dagur cackled. "But I'm just pointing out the fact that you have a wife, you know. She could just make you a couple more brats. What's the big deal?"

Astrid's face burned and the male Hooligans around her shifted angrily. The reddening of Hiccup's face wasn't lost on Dagur, so he pushed more. "Just make sure this time around she picks a proper place to pop. Wouldn't do to lose more kids." He then shifted his stance so he could look at Astrid thirty feet away. "However, I could give you better children than him. I can guarantee it-"

He was interrupted by Hiccup's indignant growl as he lunged forward. Dagur welcomed the attack, throwing his left arm into a wide swing. Hiccup jerked back, but the blade still swiped his right cheekbone. He knew the cut was shallow and met his opponent's sword over their heads. He jabbed at Dagur's ribs with his dagger, which was blocked as if he had seen it coming. Then with a sharp twist of his hand and slice, blood slashed across Hiccup's hand and his dagger went flying.

Dagur laughed when Hiccup bit his lip against the pain. "You really don't know how to use a dagger, do you? Funny, we both match up to our names quite well. I'm proficient with dagger usage, while you are the hiccup to end all hiccups."

Arm shaking from blocking Dagur's sword, Hiccup lifted his prosthetic and slammed it onto Dagur's foot. He yelped in sudden pain as Hiccup punched his leg wound. "GAHHH OW YOU LITTLE-" Dagur screamed, slicing his blade down toward Hiccup.

Hiccup jumped back, his sword in both hands now. "Notice that wound is from a dagger. I wouldn't say I don't know what I'm doing."

Dagur growled with rage and fiercely attacked. Hiccup met the blows straight on but felt himself back up by the second. Suddenly, Dagur caught the hilt of his sword by the blade and snatched it from his grasp. Dismayed, Hiccup watched his sword sail over Dagur's shoulder and steadily backed up. Dagur didn't move, only watched him back away in what he thought was weakness, but was in fact a smart evaluation of his surroundings.

His sword was ten feet behind the Berserker. He couldn't go around Dagur if he tried, he'd be cut down instantly. He most certainly couldn't go over him… but…

He had no time to further evaluate his plan as Dagur charged, sword flashing. Hiccup ran forward and just as Dagur's blade swiped toward his neck, he bent his knees and slid forward. He watched Dagur's blade sail over his face, clipping his bangs. Astrid screamed from the tunnel with the terror of watching her husband fall, but realized that he tricked them all. Hiccup slid past Dagur, the Berserker nearly tripping as his blade met open air. Hiccup jumped to his feet and grabbed his sword off the ground, whipping around to face Dagur again. The Berserker chief stood there with a look of confusion on his face, unsure how he had honestly missed his target. He had Hiccup in his clutches! And he _missed_!

"It's not fun to be a loser, isn't it Dagur?" Hiccup asked shrewdly, a slight smirk gracing his features when Dagur scowled. Hiccup raised his sword with both hands, anticipating another attack. He suddenly realized he had been fighting for… a long time. And he only had minor injuries so far! He would have smiled with joy with this revelation… but Dagur broke the silence.

"Loser?" Dagur sniffed. "I may have missed one time, but that doesn't make me a loser. I don't _lose_ battles. That's your job. Always has been."

"Notice I'm still standing." Hiccup replied, not lowering his defenses.

"Not for much longer, _Hiccup_ ," Dagur sneered before charging forward.

Hiccup met his sword head on, sliding his own down toward the hilt in the attempt to catch Dagur's fingers. He missed, and unfortunately Dagur took the opportunity at their close proximity to kick his prosthetic out from under him. Hiccup crumpled to the ground, growling when Dagur dove on top of him as he tried to slam his sword hilt into his face. He grabbed the back of Dagur's vest and used all his strength to roll them over… but Dagur slammed him to his back again. Dagur laughed, grabbing a fistful of Hiccup's hair and pushing his his head into the cobblestone. Hiccup growled again, snatching a dagger from Dagur's belt. He slashed upwards with the weapon, slicing Dagur's right cheek up to his eyebrow. Dagur howled in pain, slamming Hiccup's head into the cobblestone in rage. Blood dripped onto Hiccup's face as he shoved his foot and prosthetic into Dagur's stomach, then shouted with all his strength as he flung Dagur up and over his head.

"Whoo! Yeah, that's right!" Tuffnut screamed when Dagur slammed into the weapons rack.

Hiccup rolled onto his belly, scrambling for his sword that had been lost in the tussle. Gobber's voice suddenly screamed, "HICCUP WATCH IT!"

Hiccup instinctively dove to his left, a large hammer barely missing him by inches. The sturdy hunk of metal slammed into his sword, cracking the blade in seconds. Now he only had a dagger; the rest of the weapons were behind Dagur… who was winding up for another swing. Hiccup barrel rolled forward, Dagur growling when he again missed his target. Hiccup scrambled up toward the weapons rack, a new weapon in his sights…

He didn't see the hit. He didn't even see the swing.

_CRACK!_

He was instantaneously flat on his belly clutching his left knee and screaming louder than he had ever screamed before in his life. It felt like electricity, the white hot, earth-shattering pain spiking up his left leg.

"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed, clutching the bars. She was sure her husband couldn't hear her as his scream echoed across the arena. Dagur swung the hammer again with a malicious cackle. The prosthetic snapped in half, making the Hooligans gape in fear. Hiccup snatched his knees to his chest, clutching his left.

"Hiccup get up! Please get up!" Astrid screamed, shoving her fingers through her hair.

Kara clutched the arm rests of her chair, her knuckles white. She couldn't bear to see Hiccup slaughtered like this when he probably couldn't stand. He had more fight in him… and now he had his best friend.

She stood from her chair and commanded in a loud voice, "Dragons! NOW!"

The Hooligan and Berserker instantly yanked on the ropes, lifting the cage doors. Toothless was out in a flash, raising a plasma blast deep in his chest and firing at Dagur just as the Berserker wound up for another swing.

The blast hit Dagur square in the back. The leather of his suit sizzled, melting across his skin painfully. He landed on his stomach a few yards away, his hands grabbing at his back to pull the leather off. But it was useless. He stared up at Bloodbath, his magnificent Skrill.

Hiccup gritted his teeth, not registering anything other than the agonizing pain he felt in his leg. Even if his prosthetic hadn't been broken, there was no way he would be able to stand on it. He knew it… he didn't need to test it to find out.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted when he sat up to rest his weight on his right knee. Tears formed in his eyes and he choked down another howl of pain. Toothless prodded his shoulder, warbling encouragingly. "Hiccup get up!"

Hiccup shook his head shakily. He couldn't get up… the pain was too great. Dagur was surely atop his Skrill by now… what more did he have left? But something caught his eye…

There, sticking out of the edge of his suit by his leg was his son's wooden axe. His eyes widened and the pain in his leg seemed to falter slightly.

"Finn…" he whispered. "Come on, buddy... daddy needs some of your strength."

A burst of adrenaline, fueled by the thought of his little boy, shot through his body. Toothless cooed in front of him, puffing his bangs out of his eyes. Hiccup looked up at him, tears of pain gathering at the edge of his eyelids. "T-Toothless… Help me up…"

Toothless immediately flattened on his belly, nudging his black triangular nose under Hiccup's waist. Hiccup groaned as he slid himself into his saddle, his dangerously injured left leg dangling above the rigging. Thankfully he could use his right foot to operate Toothless' tail. Joined with his best friend, he could do this… he had to. For Finn. For Adrianna. For Astrid. For Berk.

And for himself.

The Hooligan chief turned and locked eyes with his wife. Her face had fingernail marks from when she had clutched it in fear. Her knuckles were white, still gripping the bars. But her gaze was confident, encouraging.

"Go." she whispered, her heart pounding in her ears.

"All right bud," Hiccup said in a strong voice, turning and giving his dragon a reassuring pat on the head. Toothless growled in response, narrowing his eyes at the Skrill and its rider in front of them. "Let's finish this."


	15. Precious Memories

Toothless and Bloodbath reared onto their hind legs, one screeching at a high pitch, the other roaring with wings lit up by electricity. Bloodbath sparked as Dagur cackled, so sure he would win this duel. But in the back of his mind he knew as well as everyone else that this was Hiccup's territory. Since the Hooligan was fifteen years old, he had always been the best concerning dragons: riding, control, instincts, territory, knowledge. Everything there was to know about dragons was all in Hiccup's head. Luckily for Dagur, Hiccup only had one working leg. He was at a great disadvantage and no one could deny that.

"Fire, Bloodbath!" Dagur screeched mid-cackle.

"Toothless, watch out!" Hiccup shouted, crouching low over the saddle as his Night Fury dodged the bolt of lightning.

The young chief shouted in pain when the action jostled his leg. He found he needed to use more upper body strength than usual to stay on. Without his prosthetic and only his suit straps holding him into the saddle, he was off balance. Another disadvantage.

Toothless roared angrily as another burst of electricity came close to hitting him and his rider. He reared up onto his back legs again, growling warningly and stretching out his wings.

"Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup ordered.

The Night Fury gathered a massive burst of burning plasma in the back of his throat and shot it straight at the center of the arena. The blast exploded, sending a cloud of dark smoke through the arena.

"You missed!" Dagur cackled.

Hiccup smirked, struck with sudden déjà vu. "Did I?"

Dagur blinked quickly as his enemies disappeared into the dark fog. "What… Oh _perfect_ -"

A second plasma blast came dangerously close to them, exploding mere feet away on the concrete walls. "Bloodbath, fire! They have metal, find them!"

Bloodbath roared, gathering powerful surges of electric energy into its wings. With a loud screech it released the beams into the fog. Dagur roared in victory when he heard the Hooligan and his dragon cry out in shock and scramble to safety.

Bloodbath again reared onto its hind legs, flapping its wings wildly against the fog. The dissipating fog was not lost on Hiccup. Before they could be seen he directed Toothless into a darker part of the fog. Taking to the air and circling around the arena in a tight circle, they very nearly knocked Dagur right off his dragon's back. But he saw them just in time, swiping his hatchet at the enemy. Hiccup guided Toothless into a tight flip, narrowly missing the blade.

"Toothless, two blasts!" Toothless obeyed, sending another couple of blasts into the arena—one onto the ground to restore the fog and the other toward Dagur. The Berserker jerked in his saddle as Bloodbath dove away. The duo growled angrily before leaping into the darkness in search of their prey, which just happened to be black as the night.

Little could be heard from inside the fog for a few moments as both fighters sought out the other. Astrid bounced on her toes, Snotlout's fingers absentmindedly rubbed the corners of his mouth, Gobber clutched the bars anxiously. Kara and Frederik watched the black fog with darting eyes, wondering how the men and dragons had been so quiet for this long in the darkness. Even the Berserkers seemed a little apprehensive at the growing silence.

Astrid bit her cheek nervously. Where had...

A Night Fury scream snatched away her thoughts and the Skrill suddenly slammed into the metal door she stood behind. Astrid and many others yelped in shock, stumbling backwards as Toothless dove on top of Bloodbath. Dagur was shoved against the bars with a cry of rage. Hiccup raised a bow, arrow cocked and aimed at Dagur.

"Bloodbath, shock!"

Bloodbath set itself into a torrent of shock waves just as Hiccup released the arrow, but Toothless' twist of pain sent the arrow over Dagur's head. Tuffnut jumped out of the way, missing the shot by inches. Hiccup held onto the saddle with one hand, shouting for Toothless to stabilize himself. The Skrill clamped its massive jaws onto Toothless' front left leg, making the Night Fury howl in rage.

"Toothless!" Hiccup screamed, trying to yell over the dragon cries. The dark blood dripping to the ground did not look good at all and Toothless' understandable flailing was making it difficult to hold on. "Toothless, tail strike!"

Toothless slammed his tail around in a 180 degree strike, effectively sending Dagur and the Skrill away. The Night Fury screeched in pain, nudging his injured limb with his snout. He hopped backwards away from the enemy, dripping leg in the air.

Hiccup patted his shoulder gently. "Easy bud, easy."

Hiccup eyed the gate for a moment. Kara noticed this and nodded before either dragon or warrior could attack again. "Open the gates!"

"But chief-" One guard began, but she cut him off.

"No. They need more room to fight."

"You're supposed to be the neutral party, _ma'am_ ," Dagur sneered from below. "You're trying to give Hiccup more of an advantage-"

"This is MY arena!" Kara thundered, standing tall from her seat. "I said to open the gate. Now you will open them."

Dagur chuckled as men scrambled to the pulley systems operating the massive iron gates. "Fine, open them. But I can still kill him before he can even get out."

The deranged Berserker slammed his heels into Bloodbath. The massive purple lunged forward in a scream of indignation, the wings bursting into torrents of electrical energy.

Hiccup snapped the pedal down as Toothless simultaneously raised his wings. The duo lifted straight into the air and quickly arched backwards to avoid hitting the chained dome above them. The Skrill also shot into the air, snapping its jaws at Toothless' tail. Hiccup notched an arrow into the bow, sat up and twisted straight behind him. He released the arrow but it only swiped Dagur's right arm. He growled in frustration at his horrible aim. It wasn't enough to shed blood anymore. He needed a death blow.

Banking sharply toward the weapons rack, Hiccup twisted Toothless so he was flying belly up and snatched a sword from it as they flew by. He righted Toothless and tested the weight of the blade—it was heavier than he was used to but it would have to do. He decided to fight with his left arm from now on. Dagur wouldn't be paying attention to the rules. Why should he when his very life hung in the balance?

By this time, the Meatheads had the gate halfway opened. The two large dragons only had so much flying space and crashing did not sound very appealing to either man. Hiccup looped Toothless around the arena one last time but the Skrill could not be shaken. The dragons could only dodge each other's shots for so long; it was only a matter of time before either or both were hit. Hiccup looked ahead at the still mostly lowered gate and furrowed his brow determinedly.

Crouching low to Toothless' back, he slammed the pedal down harder. "Go Toothless, you got this!"

The duo sped forward and blasted through the narrow space and into open air. The Meatheads yelled in shock as the black dragon shot past them and the gate slid back down a few feet.

Dagur cursed, nearly plowing his purple dragon into the metal gate. "Open it, you fools! Open it!"

Hiccup flew Toothless high into the sky, away from the arena to catch his breath and gather his bearings. His leg still hurt like Hel but that wasn't the first thing on his mind right now. He watched the Hooligans and Berserkers flood out of the arena stands to watch the remaining half of the battle. This was it. He knew in a matter of minutes, he would either be dead or alive.

He nearly chuckled at that stupid, oxymoron-like train of thought, but Toothless' growl alerted him of the approaching Skrill. Dagur quickly spotted them against the bright red sunrise and quickly pressured his dragon to meet them in the air.

Hiccup sighed lightly and rested a hand on Toothless head. He glanced in the direction of Berk with slight sadness, but the moment fled as fast as it came. "All right bud… let's show them who rules the skies, shall we?"

Toothless' fierce bellow that released from his jaws echoed across the island as they tucked into a steep nosedive toward their enemies. Hiccup clutched the saddle with his right hand and the sword in his left, eyes narrowed on his target. His ears popped and stream lines gathered at the edges of Toothless' wings as they broke the sound barrier. The Night Fury's sonic filled the air, shouting to the clouds that the strongest duo in the archipelago had arrived and would not be taken down so easily. This was their territory and they would not be deterred.

Dagur gritted his teeth as the black pair zoomed closer and closer. Hiccup wouldn't collide with them; he would kill them all. He wasn't that stupid. The Berserker's eyes widened when the duo didn't let up their speed. Hiccup was insane! Dagur yanked on the reigns, sending Bloodbath into a sharp twist to the right. The Night Fury easily lifted out of the dive and shot at the fleeing Skrill. The shot grazed Bloodbath's shoulder and the Hooligan duo easily overtook them.

Dagur shouted in alarm when Toothless rammed into the Skrill, sending them catapulting towards the water. Hiccup struck Dagur's armored shoulder with his sword, cutting cleanly through the leather. Dagur twisted around and jabbed at Hiccup with his own weapon. Hiccup blocked the attack, punching Dagur in the face with his free hand. Toothless bit at the Skrill's thick purple hide with his sharp teeth, making the larger dragon howl in agony before lighting its scales in a current of shock waves. Toothless leaped off just in time, blasting the Skrill with another plasma blast.

The crowd watched the duo hurtle toward the ocean before they began to cry out in alarm. They didn't have much air left! Astrid gripped Gobber's arm for something to hold onto. She bounced on the balls of her feet as the ocean became too close for comfort, the men and dragons still fighting too fiercely to notice.

"Pull up, Hiccup! PULL UP!" Astrid screamed, her nails nearly cutting into Gobber's skin.

Hiccup swiped his weapon at Dagur one last time before yanking Toothless away. He pulled up on the saddle and equipment, barely managing to level off just above the water. Ocean spray flew in all directions from the speed of their flight, but Hiccup twisted to look behind him. He knew Dagur would try to shove them in the water if he had the chance. The Skrill had narrowly missed the ocean as well and was looping back around to chase after them. He lifted Toothless into the air to gain more height.

Bloodbath angled itself upwards to catch up to the Night Fury in the air. Dagur and Hiccup both prepared their swords as the dragons neared each other. Dagur made the first strike in a swift upper cut toward Hiccup's neck with his sword. Hiccup narrowly dodged, grabbing Dagur's arm and yanking it down towards his leg. He raised his sword and Dagur's eyes widened.

"Oh no you don't!" Dagur bellowed, kicking Hiccup's left leg before he could send his sword down.

Hiccup screamed and Toothless' flight faltered for a moment. They flew below Bloodbath by five feet and Hiccup crouched low to avoid being decapitated. Then he stared up at the dragon's exposed belly. He winced emphatically, avoiding eye contact with the amazing creature. If he looked it in the eye, he wouldn't have the heart to do what his mind commanded.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, before lunging up and slamming his blade into the Skrill's exposed underbelly.

The Skrill twisted and screeched in agony from the strike. Hiccup didn't hurt it enough to kill it; just enough to damage it so Dagur couldn't fly. The Skrill took a nosedive to get away from the attack, ignoring its master's protests.

But Hiccup didn't expect Dagur to leap off his dragon at the last moment and snag Toothless' tail. He wrapped his arms and legs around the black appendage when the dragon roared in discomfort and shook his tail around to shake him off. But Dagur would not be deterred. Toothless swooped, dove, twisted, and spun around as fast as he could but began wearing himself out over time.

"Toothless, stop!" Hiccup finally shouted, losing his balance more and more by the second. He looked back when Dagur cackled, climbing his way closer foot by foot. "Don't wear yourself out bud, I need you to-"

Dagur's victorious shout overpowered his voice and he jerked out of range of the Berserker's sword. Toothless instantly dove, trying to throw Dagur off. He held fast to the saddle with one hand as he continued to strike at Hiccup. The Hooligan blocked Dagur's sword, having difficulty fighting with the Berserker behind him. The Hooligan slammed his elbow behind him, managing to catch Dagur's still smarting nose. Hiccup twisted around and jabbed at Dagur's open chest when his free hand flew to his face.

Dagur blocked the attack, but a sharp twist from Hiccup's wrist sent the Berserker's sword flying toward the sea. Hiccup raised his sword for the death blow he so needed to accomplish, sending a fleeting prayer to the gods for strength to actually take a life…

Dagur slammed his fist into Hiccup's face. Hiccup felt his breath leave his lungs in a rush of air when his back slammed into the saddle. He saw spots for a moment, vaguely registering Dagur grabbing yet another dagger from his belt.

His mind swimming, he jerked away from the diagonal swipe across his chest. The harsh sensation of ripped flesh tore across his collarbone and neck as his blood slashed across his face and Toothless' neck. The dragon screeched in sudden terror, knowing blood when he smelt it.

The light of the sunrise magnified the sight of spilled blood as Toothless shot over the crowd and back over the ocean. Gobber hunched over Astrid to protect her from the downpour, but her eyes never left the fight.

Dagur was overpowering her husband. She knew whose blood that was. "Hiccup!"

Dagur cackled in satisfaction and lunged at Hiccup again. Adrenaline shot through Hiccup's veins and he twisted out of the way. He slammed the hilt of his sword toward the side of Dagur's head, but he groaned in pain when he missed. Dagur snatched his arm out of the air and slammed it over the edge, twisting his arm in a way a limb shouldn't twist. Hiccup cried out in agony, waiting for his shoulder to pop out of its socket. He kicked his right leg up towards Dagur's head, trying desperately to get a hold on the situation. Dagur brushed it off with his armed hand and lunged over, knees on Hiccup's chest and right shoulder, dagger raised.

"Toothless!"

Sharp agonizing pain blasted through Hiccup's chest when Dagur slammed the blade straight into his heart. His mouth opened in a silent cry and he arched his back, trying to scream, to give his panicking dragon an order, to say something… but the pain raging through his chest, the convulsing palpitations of his heart, the blood soaking the tunic under his flight suit… he couldn't say a word. All he could do was feel the beginning of the end of his life. He was dying.

He could vaguely hear Toothless roaring mournfully under him and Dagur cackling victoriously above him. He could feel the slight rattle in his throat as he gingerly tried to breathe, stem the pain, but each light puff of air only sent more shivers of pain through his system. And then... everything went quiet.

_He didn't know why Astrid had summoned him out of the blue just to feel her growing belly... but a moment later his heart skipped a beat as he felt a tiny movement under his hand. This... this was his child. The child he and Astrid had made together. A wonderful new life growing inside of her. He couldn't wait until his baby was in his arms. Only five months left._

_He was exhausted from being up all night but it was for a single, beautiful reason. As Astrid placed his newborn son in his arms, everything went quiet. He was more nervous than he had ever been in his life. This little baby sleeping in his arms needed him. He wondered if he could be there for him, for both of them, and the thought that he might let them down terrified him. But one thing was for certain: he loved his newborn children more than he ever thought he could love anyone._

_He loved making his children smile. Sometimes all it took was eye contact. Other times he had to make a funny face or sound. Addie was in his arms and, for no reason in particular, he decided to make a funny popping noise with his lips. For the first time, the little girl giggled. And then came an enormous hiccup that jolted her entire body.  
_ " _Woah, you all right there, Addie?"  
_ _She continued to giggle, his concerned expression amusing her further, and another hiccup escaped her. Suddenly he felt a surge of pure joy. He turned to Astrid, who was holding Finn and watching the pair, and smiled widely.  
_ " _Did you hear that? Do it again! Do it again, Addie!" he turned to his daughter, his arm flailing around and making the girl laugh harder. Again, a hiccup erupted from her throat. "She hiccups when she laughs! Ahh, could life possibly get better?"_

_He hoped that Finn's days of wearing out the knees in his pants were about to come to an end. He stood the toddler up, smiling as he wobbled before standing straight, and gently pushed him toward his mother, whose arms were outstretched. The little boy grinned and let go of Hiccup's hands. And then his foot moved forward and rested on the floor. The other foot followed suit and before they knew it, he was shakily walking not toward Astrid but toward the stairs. Before he could injure himself, Astrid grabbed him around the middle and pulled him in for a tight hug. It had finally happened. Their little boy had taken his first steps._

_His heart had been shattered into a million pieces. His little girl no longer wanted him, no longer loved him. He couldn't stop his tears from falling, couldn't face her anymore. He would happily spend the rest of his life making it up to her... if she would only let him. Suddenly, a tiny, warm hand rested on his shoulder.  
_ " _D-daddy?"  
_ _He looked into her wide green eyes, tears still spilling out of his. For a moment, she stared at him, her mouth open in horror. She began to tremble all over, her breathing labored.  
_ " _D-don't cry, d-daddy. P-please don't c-cry... please d-don't..."  
_ _Her timid hiccup echoed in the silence of the room. Suddenly, tears began to pour out of her eyes, almost like she was finally reacting to everything that had happened to her all at once. He immediately put his arms around her and sat down next to her on the bed. She crawled into his lap as her sobs and hiccups grew louder. He held her as tightly as he could, rocking her back and forth and feeling a burst of joy in his heart. She didn't hate him after all. She wasn't okay and she wouldn't be for a very long time. But they would get through this together._

 _Finn's forehead was far too warm for comfort. He didn't know why little kids always got sick in the middle of the night but he didn't care; what mattered was that his little boy wouldn't have to be sick all by himself. He got out a bucket and placed it in front of his son just in case but Finn didn't seem to need it quite yet. He looked completely miserable. There was only one thing left to do.  
_ " _Did I ever tell you about the time I got stuck to Meatlug and flew out over the ocean?"  
_ _Finn giggled and shook his head. The young father regaled the boy with his story, throwing in as many details as he remembered. When describing the bizarre events surrounding his apology to Fishlegs, Finn was laughing so hard he very nearly threw up again. The father loved making his boy laugh. And the boy appreciated his father more every time he did._

" _Easy does it, Addie! Let him come to you."  
_ _He was talking to a ten-year-old girl with long, loosely braided hair and stunning green eyes. She had her arm extended, her eyes squeezed shut and her head facing away from the dragon mere inches from her hand. It hesitated for a moment before resting its snout on her outstretched fingers. Her eyes opened wide and her face split into a delighted smile. Her father stood back and watched her gently stroke the dragon, his heart bursting with pride._

" _Slowly, Finn, I said slowly!"  
_ _He sighed deeply as he watched his son acquire his very first cut while shaving. The teenager had never liked to do things slowly and he scowled as he washed the blood off the razor and pressed a cloth up to his jaw.  
_ " _Yeah, I think I'm just going to grow a beard." he said in a voice that sounded an awful lot like his grandfather's.  
_ " _Feel free. But you're still going to learn how to shave."  
_ _Finn glared up at his father, who shrugged before holding up the razor and demonstrating on his own face. "If you're slow and careful, you won't get razor burn or cut your face. See how I'm moving it down my face? Always go down, not up. Now you try."  
_ _The red haired teenager sighed before picking up the razor and emulating his father's actions. To his great surprise, he didn't managed to nick his skin. In fact, his face hadn't been this smooth in a long time.  
_ " _There you go. See? Nothing to it."  
_ _Finn rolled his eyes. "I'm still growing that beard."_

_He had almost hoped this day would never come. His daughter's arm was linked with his and every one of his fellow Hooligans stood as they entered the Great Hall. He wanted to cry but he thought he should save it until the kiss. If he could hold out that long. The trip up the aisle seemed to fly by and now that they were up front, it was time to give his baby away. He turned to look at her. She was so beautiful, her round face smiling widely and her green eyes sparkling with joy. Her betrothed was blurred and in shadows but he didn't care because this was the perfect man for his little girl. He kissed her on the cheek and let her go._

Hiccup's eyes snapped to focus. He didn't know how long he had been "dead" to Dagur, who was presently yanking on Toothless driving gear and yelling at him to land. Toothless continued to roar and jerk his head around in his attempt to see Hiccup and tear Dagur to pieces limb by limb. Dagur hadn't tossed him overboard yet. He probably wanted to toss his enemy's bloody body at Astrid's feet in smug pride. Hiccup could feel the agony in his body from head to toe, each bruise, each cut, each slash of his skin, each smear of his blood…

But he wasn't done. He wasn't dead _yet_. And Odin and all the Halls of Asgard curse him to Hel if he allowed this maniac, this cursed fiend, this disgusting vile of all of Loki's minions to get his hands on his babies, his wife, his dragon, and his island. He might be dying. But still he wasn't dead _._

Tears welling up in his eyes both from the pain and from the realization that Dagur _must_ die, he _must_ take a life if it meant the safety of Berk and the Haddock heritage, Hiccup grabbed Dagur's tunic and pulled himself into a seated position.

Dagur stared at him in shock. "What-"

"I'm s-sorry Dagur…" Hiccup breathed into his face. "But I can't let you win."

Dagur made a move to grab the dagger sticking out of Hiccup's chest, but the Hooligan quickly collided the Berserker's nose with his forehead. Dagur cried out, recoiling back. Hiccup wrapped his right leg around the back of Dagur's left knee, pulled back and shoved Dagur forward.

Dagur's leg slipped out from under him and he screamed in shock. He grabbed Hiccup's arm, pulling him over the edge with him. Hiccup's stomach slammed into Toothless' black hide and Dagur's hand slipped from his.

Hiccup watched Dagur plummet toward the rocks below with wide eyes. Toothless yanked to a halt, hovering in place to watch the enemy fall. Dagur screamed angrily, indignantly at first, then the more he fell, he screamed in terror. His Skrill didn't come. His men couldn't come. His only potential rescuers would not rescue him.

Dagur the Deranged smashed into the rocks with a sickening crack that set Hiccup's teeth on edge. In a daze, he watched Dagur lie there, completely unmoving, watched as the small pool of blood formed underneath Dagur's head. How long he stared at the body he didn't know, but it was the flutter of his heart and the sudden struggle to breathe that snapped him back into action.

With a groan of indignation he reached up and grasped his saddle. Toothless warbled to him, still unable to fully see his best friend. Hiccup wasn't well—his instincts and the smell of blood told him that much. Hiccup pulled himself back onto the saddle, barely managing to get his foot into the rigging. His vision clouded and he placed his forehead onto Toothless' neck. Toothless warbled again, still hovering in place.

"Astrid…" Hiccup could only whisper. "Just get me to Astrid, bud."

* * *

Astrid watched a body fall off of Toothless, heard a horrible scream... and then all went silent. The Night Fury was flying at a breakneck speed toward land, steadily flying closer until the rider on its back was finally visible.

 _Hiccup_.

She wanted to cry with relief. He had done it. He had won. After everything they had gone through, every moment she feared would be his last, he had protected his family. And he didn't have to die to do it.

Or did he?

The moment Toothless touched down, her husband slid off his back, landing with a dull thud on the dirt. Blood splattered on the ground around him and he remained still. Astrid gasped in horror. She wasn't even conscious of the fact that she had started walking forward until she had quickened her pace enough to run. She fell to her knees and gently lifted his upper body so that it rested on her lap. His eyelids fluttered.

"Dagur's dead." he choked out, trembling slightly as more blood gushed out of his body.

Astrid's shaking hand made its way to the hilt of the dagger sticking out of her husband's chest. She dearly wanted to pull it out... but a distant memory of something her mother had once said drifted into her subconscious and reminded her that jostling the weapon or pulling it out could be fatal. She looked into his eyes, relishing the sounds of his shaking, weak breathing.

"You did it. You won." she whispered, holding him close and feeling the warm blood running through her fingers. "You've got to stay with me, Hiccup. Come on, don't you die on me now."

People were running to and fro, a healer was probably being summoned, Toothless cooed in concern and nudged Hiccup's foot, but Astrid paid them no heed. Tears were falling thick and fast upon her face, dripping into her husband's blood and causing his features to become blurry. Hiccup raised a quivering hand and gently brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek. She reached up and gripped his wrist, holding it to her face and caking his wrist in his own drying blood.

"Stay with me." she breathed, stroking his shoulder with her other hand. "Come on, Hiccup. Y-you can finally be there f-for our kids. And m-me... don't you leave us now. Stay w-with me."

The edges of Hiccup's mouth twitched upward slightly as he stared into her eyes. For a moment, the entire world was silent. They were the only ones in the universe, the only ones that mattered.

But all moments, even the most precious ones, are fleeting.

A few seconds later, the Hooligan chief's body shuddered and then fell limp. His bright green eyes rolled upward and his eyelids fluttered shut.

Astrid's heart stopped.

"HICCUP!"


	16. Even

This couldn't be happening. Hiccup couldn't be dead. After everything they had gone through, everything they had faced, every tear they had shed together, this couldn't be how it ended. Her husband dead in her arms, his warm blood soaking her clothing. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

The cry that came from Astrid caught everyone off guard. No one had ever heard a cry so anguished, so devoid of hope. No one wanted to watch her sobbing, her limp husband in her arms.

The Meathead's healer, a woman named Oona, rushed forward, a few of her helpers and apprentices running behind her with a mat. Before Astrid could even react, she pushed her aside and immediately began to place her fingers on Hiccup's neck and up to his mouth. And then she did something that made Astrid gasp with horror and Toothless lunge forward. She slapped him. His eyelids fluttered in response and his body jolted again.

"He's alive." she put a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "We have to get him to my house right now."

She motioned for her entourage to put Hiccup on the mat. Astrid didn't want to let him go but she knew that he needed urgent care. She and the others carried her husband to a thankfully nearby house. Toothless followed, limping behind them, and curled up outside the house, unable to fit through the door. They burst through it and lay him down on the bed. His blood seeped through the mat, creating crimson stains on just about everything it touched. Now that she could see him in a proper light, Astrid caught sight of his stomach weakly moving up and down. His arms and legs trembling. He was breathing. He was _alive_.

Gobber came bounding through the doorway seconds later. Astrid had never seen him looking so worried.

"He's alive?" he asked, his eyes boring into Astrid's.

She nodded. Gobber, though still tense, seemed to loosen up a bit. He sat down on a nearby chair as Oona and her assistants tended to the wounded chief. They cut away the leather coat to reveal the flight suit underneath. The dagger was sticking directly into Hiccup's heart... but there was a lump on the chest. The blood coming from beneath the strap seeped slowly, almost like the cut wasn't very deep. Oona decided to take the risk and extract the dagger.

The moment Astrid saw the it, her legs gave out and she collapsed onto a chair. Only the dagger's tip was dripping with her husband's blood. Oona cut away the strap and out fell a doll in a blue nightgown with a missing arm and leg and, now, a gaping hole in its center. Its back was covered in blood. But now the injury was revealed... it was _shallow_. Only about a centimeter deep, if that. Astrid covered her face with her hands, an explosion of relief and terror all coming out of her at once. _Their little girl had saved her daddy's life._

"We're going to have to stitch this up." Oona said in a businesslike tone. "Josie, Cleo, you get the stitching materials and start working on his neck. Gobber, get a few of the stronger Hooligans to hold him down. Astrid, talk to him. We can't let him pass out." she clapped her hands once. "Move!"

Instantly, there was a flurry of activity. The assistants named Josie and Cleo ran around, picking up the materials they needed. Oona pressed down on Hiccup's injuries to try to slow the bleeding while she waited for them. Gobber ran out the door, was gone for a few seconds, and returned with Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Snotlout going over and holding down Hiccup's arms while Tuffnut and Gobber held down his legs. The moment Josie and Cleo returned with the materials, they slowly started working on Hiccup's neck. Hiccup gasped at the sudden pain. Astrid knew that there would be a scar there for the rest of his life. Oona applied a thick bandage to his chest and another to his left arm and hand. The cut on the arm also needed stitching.

Astrid, meanwhile, leaned over him, blocking his view of the procedures. Hiccup's eyes were half open and unfocused.

"Wh-what? I... I can't... why can't I..." Hiccup whispered, incapable of raising his voice.

Astrid slipped her hand into his. He suddenly clutched it so hard she was losing circulation. "It's okay, Hiccup. Everything's going to be okay."

"Astrid?" Hiccup's weak voice went up in pitch. He had never sounded so terrified.

She sat down next to him on the bed and gently ran her fingers through his thick hair. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Hiccup suddenly cried out in pain, or he would have done if he had a voice at all. All the treatments, everything pressing on him, the needles weaving through his skin, were agonizing. Tears brimmed in his eyelids; he tried to keep them down but a few slipped out.

When the cry died in his throat, he squeezed Astrid's hand even harder. "Dad... where's dad?" he rasped.

Astrid let out a small sob, which she stifled and hoped her husband couldn't hear. He was disoriented, confused, in excruciating pain... she couldn't tell him. She turned to look at Gobber. They stared at each other for a split second before he nodded and gripped Hiccup's hand in his. The young chief seemed to find this comforting. Both Astrid and Gobber felt horribly guilty deceiving him in this way but telling him the truth would hurt him much more. He whimpered for a few minutes, apparently satisfied that those he needed most were with him.

The room became silent, everyone feeling slightly guilty about the deception but no one wanting to talk about it. Astrid gently ran her fingers through Hiccup's hair. Sweat and blood, some of it Dagur's, came off in her fingers. She felt like gagging but restrained herself. Even if he could barely feel it, her husband needed her comforting touch while he was stitched up. His eyelids continued to flutter but they remained open. He was trying to say something else but no sound came out.

"Shh, don't speak. Just lay still. It's going to be over soon." Astrid whispered, kissing him on the forehead.

It was over in a few minutes but it felt like a lot longer. The dark stitches all over Hiccup's body made Astrid cringe. They were rough to the touch and would probably stay for several days as the skin healed. Her husband looked the worst she had ever seen him, and this included the aftermath of the fight with the Red Death. But it didn't matter in the long run. He would be scarred for the rest of his life... but he had a life to live.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when a Terrible Terror came sailing into the Great Hall. It immediately landed on Lotus and stuck out its foot, revealing a rolled up message. She slipped it off and unfurled it as the dragon flew away. After a few seconds, she laughed out loud, tears streaming down her face.

"It's over. Hiccup won!" she called. "Oh thank Thor!"

A hush fell over the crowd. Lotus saw the faces of her grandchildren, one white as a sheet and the other red and wet. They both seemed to be in shock. After all the worrying and crying, this was the moment for which they had prayed. Suddenly, several shouts of joy erupted from the Hooligans all at once and the tension in the Hall evaporated completely.

It was Finn who regained the ability to move first. He jumped off the bench on which he was seated and ran to Lotus, wanting to tug the note out of her hand and try to read it. He needed proof that his daddy was truly alive. The moment he saw the parchment, he knew. It was his mommy's handwriting. She would never lie about this. His daddy didn't die after all. He looked over at his sister, who was staring at him with wide eyes, and gave her a thumbs up.

"He's okay!" Erick exclaimed, smiling widely and gripping Adrianna's hand. "Your daddy did it!"

Adrianna had no idea how to react. She felt like laughing but she couldn't stop crying. It was like a giant burden had been lifted off her shoulders but a deep, desperate longing rose up within her. She continued to hold Erick's hand, more out of habit than anything else, as she hopped off the bench and ran to Lotus as fast as she could.

"Can we go now?" she asked, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "I want to see daddy. Please?"

"Your mom would rather you two wait a little while. She says he got hurt and needs his rest." Lotus replied in a gentle voice. "She'll let us know when you can come."

"But... but he _needs_ me." Adrianna protested. "I won't bother him."

"Me neither." piped up Finn.

"What your daddy needs now is rest." Lotus said firmly. "But he's alive and he's going to be okay. That's what matters, isn't it?"

Adrianna bit her lip but nodded. Erick squeezed her hand and nodded his head toward some of the other children, who had sat down to play a game. Finn, upon noticing this, bounded over and joined them.

"It's okay, Anna. Your dad's going to be okay. He just needs rest." Erick smiled at his best friend, taking her other hand and facing her directly. "But you need to have _fun_."

Adrianna looked at her other friends, who all looked quite happy, and finally smiled at Erick. "Okay." she mumbled.

Lotus watched her granddaughter and the Larson boy join the game, her eyes furrowed and her jaw clenched. True, Hiccup was alive but according to the note, he was completely bedridden. Was he disfigured? Would he be disabled for the rest of his life (well, _more_ disabled)? There were so many uncertainties, so many questions, so many difficulties that they would face over the next few days, if not weeks. But one thing was for certain: Dagur the Deranged would never return to Berk to torture its inhabitants again. And that was all that mattered.

* * *

It had been the most agonizing several days of Astrid's life. When Hiccup was finally allowed to go to sleep, he looked completely peaceful. She, on the other hand, was still feeling tense. She wanted her children back in her arms. She wanted to spend every moment with her husband, making sure he was safe. She wanted to put this whole nightmare behind her.

Dagur's body was recovered within an hour of the end of the duel. The Berserkers had a private funeral and burned it that evening. The only Berserker who seemed truly heartbroken was Dagur's sister, who Astrid later found out was the only one left in the family. She couldn't imagine having no one left. But it was either that or lose her entire home and family. She wasn't about to let that happen.

Letters of support from the Hooligans poured in while Hiccup was unconscious. A lot of them said roughly the same thing, that the writer had known that Hiccup would defeat Dagur and save Berk from the Berserkers. Astrid didn't believe for a minute that any of them were genuine.

She appreciated the letter she got from her mother, however, which said that both her children were anxious to visit their father. Oona told her that once Hiccup awoke and was showing signs of improvement, he would be permitted to have visitors other than Astrid.

Hiccup woke up several days after the ordeal. Astrid was reading the updated Dragon Book on a chair next to his bed, completely immersed in the Typhoomerang section, when she heard him stir slightly.

"Hiccup?" her head popped up and she immediately put the book aside and sat on the bed next to him. "How are you doing?"

His eyes opened and he stared at her for a few seconds. "Thirsty." he rasped.

Astrid took a skin of water off the table next to him and carefully tipped it toward his mouth. He drank it down and then licked his lips, relishing the feeling of moisture in this throat and mouth.

"You feeling any better?" Astrid put the empty skin down and felt his forehead, her fingers brushing up against his hair.

"A lot better." Hiccup scooted himself upwards a bit so that he could look at her more easily. His eyes finally focused and he noticed that she seemed tense about something, biting her lip and using her free hand to smooth out his shirt. It was like she couldn't sit still. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yes. I'm okay." Astrid replied, her fingers edging into his hair now.

"What about Toothless? He was bitten, did they-"

"Gobber and a few of the others bandaged him up. He's going to be fine." she assured him. "He's resting in the pen by the house right now. I'll wake him up in a minute."

Hiccup nodded. "Good... good..." he looked down at his legs and wiggled his remaining toes. "Okay, so I didn't lose another foot, that's good. Always good to keep your limbs intact." he added with a smile.

Astrid breathed a laugh. "Gobber's in the forge working on another prosthetic. He's almost finished. Says he has a brilliant design."

"Well that's reassuring. I still haven't forgotten about Ed- hang on, what about the kids? Are they okay? Are they here?" Hiccup looked around expectantly, almost like he thought he would spot them hiding in the room, ready to jump out and greet him when he caught them.

"They're fine. My mom sent a Terrible Terror; she says they want to see you but the healer said you need rest. When you're feeling better, we'll send for them." Astrid explained, moving her hand down to gently stroke his cheek.

"Send for them. I just want to see them-"

"Shh." Astrid kissed his forehead. "Just let yourself heal. That's most important."

For the first time, Hiccup noticed how many stitches were on his arms. He even felt the rough ones in his neck, making it painful to turn his head. Suddenly, he remembered something incredibly important. He put a hand up to his heart and winced as he applied a little bit of pressure to the bandage.

"Dagur stabbed me." his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What... why am I not dead?"

Astrid handed him Mr. Gobcup. She had stitched the hole in the doll shut but no amount of washing would take out the brown bloodstains on its back. Hiccup ran his finger down the stitches on both ends, his eyes wide with awe. He wanted to react... but he didn't know what he felt. No tears would come. Yet he didn't feel like smiling either.

"Addie." he mumbled, still running his finger up and down the stitched part of the doll. "My Addie..."

"She saved your life." Astrid blinked a few times, suddenly feeling very emotional. "Looks like you're finally even."

"That's no surprise." Hiccup smiled, his heart aching for his little girl. "She makes my life worth saving." he reached up and brushed her bangs out from in front of Astrid's eyes. "And you make it worth living."

Astrid leaned down to kiss him, closing her eyes and welcoming the feeling of his lips against hers. It was bliss like she had never felt it before, the confirmation she needed that her husband would, in fact, recover and be there for her and the twins. Her heart began to pound and as she pulled away, she had to wipe her eyes a few times.

"Come here." Hiccup whispered, scooting over so that there was room for her on the bed.

Astrid lay down, fully clothed (thankfully without her armored skirt), and allowed her husband's body to warm her from the outside in. She loved him more than life itself but now that their worst fears had not come to pass, now that they were free to be together and raise their children, she began to relax. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.

Hiccup, however, wasn't quite ready to join his wife in slumber. He watched her for a few minutes, gently stroking her hair so that it wouldn't fall in front of her face. A part of him thought that this had to be a dream. There was no way he had managed to save everyone from the strongest fleet in the archipelago, no way he had taken down Dagur the Deranged... except he was awake. It wasn't a dream. And as happy as he was that things would soon go back to normal, the image of Dagur's body, still and bloody, would not leave his subconscious.

It was necessary. It was unavoidable. Hiccup knew these things. He knew there was no other option. Yet he also knew that it would be a long time before he could truly put this ordeal behind him.


	17. Reunion

It would be nearly a day of sailing before Finn and Adrianna would arrive on Brawn. The day Oona decided that Hiccup was well enough for visitors, the children were summoned, as were the other chiefs. Since the chiefs were arriving on dragons, the nasty business of changing the law wouldn't take much time and they would be long gone by the time the twins arrived.

As chief of the Berserkers and the Hooligans, Hiccup felt that he deserved the option of hosting the meeting in the healer's house. His stump had mostly healed but he still limped quite a bit and he needed to stay in bed most of the day. He was hoping he would recover soon because being bedridden was very boring, especially without the twins (though the Thorston twins did provide a little bit of entertainment).

There were ten chiefs crammed into the small room and crowding around Hiccup's bed. The Hooligan and Berserker chief had already drawn up an official document stating that any child born outside of his or her parents' home island is a citizen of _both_ his or her parents' home and the island on which he or she was born. The vote was, as required by law, unanimous and all ten chiefs signed the document into law. Now this situation would never happen again and the archipelago would likely face a quieter period of time without any violent tribes to stir up trouble. There would be disagreements, certainly, but no wars anytime soon. At least not until someone's offspring proved to be a deranged sociopath. And the odds of that were miniscule. Or so Hiccup hoped.

"You do realize that you just changed Inga's nationality, don't you?" Astrid asked with a smile when the last foreign chief finally left the house.

"Oh yeah. I guess that makes her half Meathead, doesn't it?" Hiccup chuckled. "Well if they're as friendly to her as they are to me, she'll fit in pretty well."

"I'm glad you think we're friendly." Kara sighed deeply and sat down on a chair propped up against a wall.

"That reminds me, Kara, do you want a new tribe?" Hiccup asked quite seriously. "Because I do _not_ want any more people in mine. It's hard enough with the people I've got."

"Can you do that?" Kara asked, getting out the law book and flipping through it.

"Yeah. It's a clause underneath the duel one, which I think is on page 12." Hiccup pointed to the law in his own book, which he had just gotten out. " _If, however, the victor does not seek acquisition, as an alternative, he may designate an assignee to officiate the tribe_."

"And you think I would want it? I just had a baby!" Kara exclaimed, shaking her head vehemently.

Hiccup shrugged. "It was worth a shot. Is there anyone here that you think would make a good chief? I'd almost consider appointing Snotlout but something in my gut tells me that it wouldn't be a good idea to give him that much power. And I don't think Fishlegs would want to do it. That and if he died suddenly before Helga turns seventeen, Ruffnut would be chief."

Everyone paused to allow that statement to sink in. There was a collective shudder.

"What about my brother?" Kara suggested. "He's a year younger than me, already has an heir, and he's a really good leader. He could whip those Berserkers into shape in no time."

Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't know Sven very well but the Meathead had been undeniably helpful. He had even come by a few times to check up on how Hiccup was doing. He came from a chief's family... everything seemed to click.

"If you can vouch for him..." he said slowly, his mind racing.

"I can. Our father taught him well, just in case something happened to me." Kara smiled. "Now that I have my daughter, it doesn't look like he'll ever take over here. Why waste all that training?"

"Why indeed... it seems kind of easy, don't you think?" Astrid asked, putting her chin in her hands. "We need a chief and Sven just happens to be the perfect candidate. I feel like there should be a catch."

"Or maybe this is the gods' blessing." Kara countered.

"The only blessings I need are on their way here." Hiccup shifted positions, wincing as his weight fell on one of his many injuries. "And I'm going to be there to greet them."

"Oh no you're not." Astrid glared at him.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I get up to go to the outhouse, how is this different?"

"No one greets you on the way out!"

"Yeah... way to make that awkward." Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Look, if they see me lying here, they'll worry too much."

"And if they irritate one of your injuries-"

Hiccup shook his head. "I'll live. Astrid, when they were born, didn't you want to hold them right away?"

Astrid crossed her arms. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because I just went through agonizing pain for them and now I want to hold them as soon as I possibly can." Hiccup tried to lift himself off the bed. "I just need to get the hang of walking again."

His wife bit her lip for a few seconds before helping him up. Their eyes met and in a moment, she understood his insistence. After everything he had gone through, everything _they_ had gone through, the very people for whom they were defending and protecting would be with them once more. And they needed a daddy who wasn't bedridden and weak. They needed a daddy who could wince with the pain of his injuries but still stand firm. No foul, disgusting monsters, be they the elements or man or even dragons, would ever dare to try and take them away again. And if Hiccup had to die to keep them safe, he would do it in a heartbeat. But not today. Today, he was victorious. Today he would remind himself of why he was fighting. Today he would walk to the dock, no matter how difficult it was, and greet his children the moment they arrived.

* * *

Finn hopped from one foot to the other in anticipation. Brawn's shore was on the horizon at last. After _hours_ of boring games that didn't keep anyone truly entertained, he would be visiting his first foreign tribe. Of course, he knew he had been to Berserker Island but, naturally, he couldn't remember that so this would have to count. Most people didn't get to visit other islands until they had their own dragons. This would make him quite popular with the big kids.

Adrianna, on the other hand, was a little bit nervous. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her daddy, she did more than anything, but she felt uneasy. All she had heard was that her father was bedridden and that they weren't allowed to see him until he had healed enough. She had spent her fifth birthday with Erick; they had discovered an old, forgotten bridge and pretended they were trolls living beneath it. All things considered, it hadn't been a bad birthday at all. But she had a feeling that life, however unpredictable it was at the best of times, would never go back to normal. There was something tugging at her heart, a feeling that she was missing a crucial piece of information, but she was determined not to let this feeling dominate her.

As Brawn's shore grew ever closer, both children could see their parents standing a little ways from the dock. They thought it was odd that their father kept moving his hand to his face from time to time. It was Adrianna who first realized that this was because he was crying. This added to her uneasiness. Finn, however, was more focused on his mother, who had both hands up to her face like she was so overwhelmed, she had to hide it. The boy wondered why grown-ups, especially women, did that when they had strong feelings. Would their feelings pour out of their mouths if they didn't cover it? He would have to remember to ask his mommy when everything had quieted down.

Adrianna didn't bother to wait until the boat was fully docked. She had waited long enough. The girl hopped out of the boat when she was close enough and ran at full speed to her father, who had gotten down on his knees and expectantly stretched out his arms. When she got closer, she stopped and stared.

The first thing she noticed was the giant, jagged red mark going down the length of her daddy's neck. Her mouth dropped open; it was a horrible, _ugly_ mark. What kind of monster could _ever_ put a mark like that on the strongest man in the world? Her heart was pounding rather loudly as she took in the sight of the healing cuts on his hands and one on his face. She had known that he was hurt but now that she could see him, she was terrified. It almost felt like he wasn't her daddy anymore. Like he was a stranger who looked like him. Like her daddy would jump out from behind a rock and startle her, tell her he was kidding... but this man... this man was _hurt_. He didn't feel like the strongest man in the world anymore. And there was a darkness in his eyes, a tiny glimmer of something that wasn't there before. She didn't like it one bit.

"Addie..." he muttered so that only she could hear. "It's okay, sweetie."

She took a step forward, blinking rapidly to ease the burning sensation in her eyes. The closer she got, the more the injuries stuck out. But something else happened as well. Once she was close enough to touch him, she immediately put aside her concerns. A broken daddy was better than no daddy at all. She reached up and wiped away the tears that were falling down his face.

"Don't cry, daddy. I'm here." she said with a small smile.

The youngest Haddock took one more step forward and gently wrapped her arms around his neck. She rested her little blonde head on his shoulder and felt his strong arms ensconce her. She let out a sigh of contentment. She knew her daddy loved her but there was something different about the way he held her now. Ever since her ordeal with Trista, he tended to hold her possessively, sometimes so tight it almost hurt but never so tight that it did. This wasn't that kind of hug. His hands, scarred by whatever beastly things that had been done to them, were gentle, his right embedded in her hair and his left stroking her back. And there was something about the feeling of his heart beating inside of his chest that was, for lack of a better word, _different_. Maybe it was beating a little bit faster than it usually did. She wasn't entirely sure but she also didn't much care. Her daddy was _alive_.

"Addie..." he whispered. "My Addie... thank you."

Adrianna leaned back so that she could look her father in the eye. "For what?"

Hiccup smiled. "Just for being my little girl."

She wiped away the remaining tears on his face and focused her gaze on the ugly mark on his neck. She reached out and gingerly brushed her fingers against it. She had hardly touched it but he still winced and made a quiet hissing noise with his teeth. It was _real_. Her daddy had been mangled and now it was up to her to make him feel better. But not right this second. She stepped back to allow her brother to have some time with their daddy.

Finn, who had been feeling very impatient, immediately rushed forward and threw his arms around Hiccup's neck. His daddy made a funny sound, kind of like the one he made when Toothless stepped on his stomach. The boy loosened his hold.

"Thanks, buddy." Hiccup choked, feeling suddenly breathless. "Gotta be a little gentle with your old man for a bit."

Finn took a step back and eyed his father with an almost critical gaze. He took in all the funny red marks on his daddy's neck and hands and thought about it for a moment.

"Did you fall down the stairs?" he asked quite seriously.

For some reason, almost all of the grown-ups burst out laughing. Finn didn't understand this at all. It had been a legitimate question. His daddy fell down an awful lot.

"Not... not _quite_ , Finnster." Hiccup chortled. "But it doesn't matter. You're here. Thank you."

Finn furrowed his eyebrows. "What did I do?"

"You gave me strength when I needed it." his daddy replied, ruffling his hair.

"Daddy!" he exclaimed, making a face and shaking his head to undo the damage.

There was a sudden sound of low growls coming from the forest. Before either children could react, Toothless and Stormfly emerged and immediately cooed with delight at the sight of their humans' young. They had begun to think their humans had _forgotten_ about them and were half considering reminding them.

Toothless immediately bounded to the female young while Stormfly made a beeline to the male. Toothless affectionately licked the girl's face while Stormfly attempted to herd the boy toward his mother. The girl giggled, hiccuped, and wiped her face with her hand. The boy looked slightly disgruntled but decided to obey the dragon anyway. Now was as good a time as any to latch onto his mommy.

The other Vikings, which included all of Hiccup and Astrid's friends, watched the reunion with smiles. Snotlout wiped a few tears out of his eyes (he would vehemently deny having done this a few hours later). But Gobber watched the scene unfold with a funny little smirk.

"Well... looks like the family is whole again." he commented loudly enough for the Haddocks to hear. "At least until the next crisis."

"There won't be another crisis." Hiccup replied, kissing Adrianna on the forehead (and regretting this instantly when he tasted dragon saliva).

Unfortunately, life has a tendency to throw unexpected crises at its victims without any warning. And the next few years would prove Hiccup's words woefully wrong.

* * *

"You're absolutely certain you want to give away the strongest fleet in the archipelago to a man you barely know?" Sven quipped as he looked at the official document in his hands. "You could still assign bodyguards for your children. It sounds like they need them."

"I have never been more certain about anything." Hiccup drawled. "One tribe is enough. And I've got a couple of kids who need their daddy to be a bit more available."

Adrianna looked up at Sven with wide eyes and nodded, silently pleading him to sign the parchment so that her already frazzled daddy would have more time to spend with his family.

"Well... if you insist." Sven raised the charcoal.

"Wait!" Finn exclaimed, hopping up from his chair next to Hiccup's bed. "I could be chief there!"

Astrid chuckled. "We already went over this, little man. You're going to be chief of Berk."

Finn wrinkled his nose. "Yeah but not for a long time. And Berk doesn't have a big army." he turned to his sister. "Anna could be Berk's chief."

Adrianna shook her head. "Nope. I want to make people happy. If I was chief, I'd have to make them bored and sleepy."

Hiccup snorted. "Well thanks a lot, Addie."

"You're welcome." Adrianna smiled, completely missing the sarcasm.

"Like I said, Sven'll do a great job." Kara spoke up, walking up to her brother and squeezing his shoulder. "Ready to take on the job you were trained to do?"

Sven and Kara looked at each other for a moment. "Yeah. I got this." Sven grinned in an almost mischievous way and signed the parchment. "Now I can send an army to check up on you kids and make sure you're listening to your parents."

Finn's eyes widened in horror and he immediately jumped up and threw his arms around Astrid's legs. "I _always_ listen to my parents."

All three of his human family members laughed at what was possibly the biggest lie ever to escape the boy's lips. Even the dragons looked amused.

"Looks like the next order of business is talking to your new battalion." Kara patted her brother on the back. "Maybe you can assign some of them on bread making or sewing or, hey, laundry duty! You may never have to wash your own skivvies again!"

"Oh yes, that was the first thing on my mind when I signed this parchment. An army getting together to wash my clothes. Thank you for helping me sort out my priorities." Sven deadpanned. "Now it's about time I break it to them that I don't intend to lead them into battle over someone else's children. Unless we're protecting them."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Hiccup encouraged him. "Now get out there and lead them with an iron fist."

"But you don't lead your people with an iron fist." Adrianna said, eyeing her father's calloused hands.

"That's because he leads them with an iron _foot_." Finn supplied, rolling his eyes as if this was the obvious thing in the world.

Sven laughed and shook his head as he walked out the door, Kara at his heels. Oona bustled in moments later, her hands full of clean bandages. Hiccup winced.

"Oh don't be silly, I haven't even started yet." she smiled fondly at the wounded chief. "I just need to clean out the injuries and apply fresh bandages where needed. You're healing very well."

"I'm glad. I'd hate to think I'd inconvenience you by not healing fast enough." Hiccup quipped with a smile, holding out his arm so that she could take off his bandage.

"You have been a rather entertaining patient so it'll be a bit sad to see you go." Oona relented, narrowing her eyes at him and smirking ever so slightly.

"Addie..." Hiccup turned to his daughter, who was sitting next to him on the bed. "Would you hold my hand?"

Adrianna stared at his hand for a moment before nodding and gripping it rather tightly. Her daddy winced as Oona cleaned the horrible wound on his neck. Adrianna squeezed his hand. He had held her hand during many painful healing procedures. It was time she returned the favor. And though he never said it, she knew that he appreciated this small gesture more than even she could comprehend.

* * *

The twins wanted to sleep in the healer's house. Oona insisted that they sleep somewhere more comfortable. When it became dark, they were herded to Kara's house by a very pleased Stormfly. Toothless, however, stayed behind. He finally found a way to squeeze through the door and pushed his head upward under Hiccup's hand. The young chief smiled as he stroked it, feeling a lot more carefree than he had in weeks. But something continued to nag him.

"I can't tell them." he admitted to Astrid a few minutes later. "I don't want them ever thinking it's okay to take someone's life."

"You didn't have a choice." Astrid reassured him, placing a hand on his chest. "They'll understand that."

Hiccup remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "I don't think Addie would ever forgive me. Not after what she's seen."

Astrid considered this for a few seconds. "That's why you're making a miniature flight suit for her doll, isn't it?"

"She'll love it." Hiccup said with a small smile. "And I'll sew it on so she can't take it off and see the blood."

"Kind of a big risk, don't you think?" Astrid asked, gently nudging him. "She might decide to make her own outfit for it."

"I don't think it'll be a problem." her husband replied. "But the kids can't know. It's hard enough living with myself after what happened."

"You didn't have a choice, Hiccup."

"I know." Hiccup nodded. "But I still killed a man. I have to live with that for the rest of my life. But the kids don't have to live with that. I'd rather keep it that way."

Astrid snuggled into him, her eyes drooping. "I still think you did the right thing."

Hiccup sighed deeply, putting an arm around his wife and feeling his muscles relax. "They're worth it. I just hope I never have do something like that again."

Astrid gave him a quick kiss before rolling over and allowing him to pull her closer to his body. "I hope so too."

He had done the right thing. He knew this in his head. And in his heart, he knew that he wouldn't have done anything different. But, as he felt Astrid fall asleep in his arms, he had a nagging feeling that life as they knew it was about to change.


	18. A New Normal

Hiccup liked Brawn quite a bit but he was beginning to tire of it after several weeks. And even more annoying was the fact that most of his time was spent with the healer. But all things must come to an end and it was finally time to take off and fly home.

The children were delighted when he and Astrid told them that they would be allowed to fly home with them. Seeing as she had already ridden Toothless, Adrianna opted to travel home on Stormfly. This left Finn with Hiccup. The flight to Berk was invigorating for all of the Haddocks, Hiccup especially. Seeing as his last flight had ended with him nearly dying, it was about time he had a pleasant one. And with Finn laughing in delight in front of him, it was a good flight indeed.

As Berk became visible on the horizon, Hiccup realized he had been slightly tense ever since leaving. He relaxed his muscles and took a deep sigh. Home had never looked so wonderful.

The moment they touched down, a cheer rose from the crowd of Vikings waiting for them to arrive. Hiccup was given a hero's welcome and, considering how much he had gone through to get it, he wasn't complaining. He looked over at Astrid who, despite her wide smile, looked slightly annoyed. She never did like being in the center of an adoring crowd.

The twins, on the other hand, were thrilled. Finn was delighted to note that some of the bigger kids looked very jealous. He would have to regale them with stories about Brawn, including a description of a frog he'd found there that he'd never seen on Berk. Adrianna's eyes scanned the crowd and she finally spotted Erick, pushed aside by a lot of the adults and bigger kids but looking happy that his best friend was home. She leaped off of Stormfly and stumbled a bit before running toward him and throwing her arms around him. He very nearly fell backward with the force of the hug but he cheerfully returned it.

The moment he had touched down, Snotlout made a beeline for Heather and lifted his little daughter out of her arms before kissing her. Astrid looked over and watched the couple interact for a few minutes. She couldn't help but notice that Heather was positively _glowing_ and she had a strong feeling that there was a very wonderful reason. She would have to wait and see.

Lotus announced that there would be a party in the Great Hall to celebrate Hiccup's return and the twins' and Astrid's birthdays. Astrid had almost forgotten about her own birthday and rolled her eyes as they were herded toward the Hall by a group of excitable Vikings and dragons.

It seemed like there was always a reason for celebration on Berk. Perhaps Stoick's recent death had made everyone more determined to enjoy life. Or, more likely, maybe the Hooligans liked a good party. Either way, this was an excellent reason to get out the mead and celebrate the return of the chief and his family.

As they finally got to the Great Hall, questions started pouring in. The Hooligans begged for details on the fight and Hiccup was elusive as he could with little ears listening. Thankfully, Finn was distracted by telling a jealous looking Edgar about his adventure on Brawn and Adrianna had managed to find some chocolate mint cookies on the other end of the Hall. She was pulling Erick toward them so fast, the boy had to jog to avoid losing an arm.

It took about two hours of constantly reiterating the details of the duel with Dagur but the mood in the Hall finally calmed enough to allow Hiccup time to relax a bit with some mead (he still wouldn't touch the wine that had once gotten him drunk enough to call his father a yak). Astrid put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. The sun was just beginning to set and the numerous candles were starting to become a fire hazard as usual.

There was silence at the table containing the chief and his wife, Ruffnut, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Heather, and the newly married Tuffnut and Svala. Everyone looked slightly sheepish, all of them staring into their mead except Heather, who had abstained. Finally, Hiccup looked up and decided that now was as good as any to voice the idea that had been floating around in his brain for a few days.

"My dad always said that a good chief delegates responsibilities." he began in a voice so commanding, he even surprised himself. "I can't do everything my dad did when he was chief. There aren't enough hours in the day and I have twice as many kids as he did." he looked over at the twins, who were still completely immersed in what they were doing. "I almost died and the only things I could think about were the people and dragons. Not the meetings and duties that come with being chief. Just the residents. I want to be able to spend time with them. I want to do what my dad never could." he looked back to the group, whose eyes were now on him. "I want to get to know my people."

"And you're going to need help." Fishlegs continued. "You're going to need to divide duties so you have the time."

"Yes." Hiccup nodded. "But I can only do that if the council-"

"We'll do it." Snotlout interrupted. "Whatever it is you need us to do."

"We should have believed in you." said Fishlegs, looking very guilty.

"We won't doubt you again." Snotlout finished. "And I'll take down anyone who questions your judgment again."

"Well..." Astrid smirked. "Not _anyone_... someone has to be the voice of reason every once in a while." she nudged her husband, who smiled appreciatively.

Toothless interrupted the discussion by running over and licking Hiccup's face. "Gah!" Hiccup shouted over the peals of laughter. "Thanks, bud. I think."

Toothless crooned happily and brushed against his rider in a catlike fashion, snaking his head under Hiccup's arm so that he would be forced to pet him.

"Someone's being an attention hog." Hiccup scratched Toothless behind the ears. "Have I been ignoring you for too long? Or are you just hungry?"

Toothless snorted smoke at this outrageous accusation... and then realized that he might be a _little_ hungry. He gurgled expectantly.

"Oh all right, you big baby." Hiccup chuckled. "Give me a second and I'll-"

"Got your tail!" shouted a high pitched voice behind the peckish dragon.

Toothless turned to see the male young, both little hands grasping his tail and a gleam of mischief in his eyes. The female young was watching him, giggling behind her hand. They weren't going to get away with this. He lunged at them, his hunger forgotten, and began to chase them all over the hall. They ran as fast as they could, laughing with glee.

Hiccup watched this scene for a few seconds before turning back to the group. "I'm going to officially meet with the council about it but I thought, since there are twenty of you, you could all take up one specific chief duty each. I think dividing it evenly eliminates anyone's chances of being too overworked."

"We'll support you no matter what." Ruffnut said in an uncharacteristically encouraging tone.

Tuffnut leaned forward excitedly. "Yeah. I'd support anyone who fought like that. Did you see when he tripped Dagur up and kicked him in the-"

"We all saw and it was _awesome_!" Ruffnut continued. "You should fight more often! Does anyone else want to challenge you? I volunteer Tuffnut!"

"Hmm... okay. What time should I be there?" Tuffnut asked, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from his new wife.

"I think Hiccup's had enough dueling for a while, Tuffy." Svala kissed him on the cheek.

Tuffnut looked slightly disappointed but brightened up when Svala used the opportunity to put her arms around him and rest her head on his shoulder much like Astrid had with Hiccup. The table was silent again as everyone watched their children play (and Tuffnut and Svala became more cuddly).

Finn and Adrianna were still running away from Toothless, laughing loudly as he galloped after them. All three seemed to be having a very good time. Hiccup was beginning to feel rather warm inside. His family was safe. His children were happy. His people were united and supportive. He still felt a twinge of grief in his heart that he suspected would never go away when he thought of his father. Stoick would have loved to see this. To see his son defending his people, protecting his grandchildren... but perhaps he already had. Hiccup had a strong feeling that his father wasn't completely gone. He smiled as he watched his children run up to a large wooden beam and separate, each running around it on the opposite side.

BAM!

Toothless reeled back, partially because of the blow to his head but also from extreme annoyance. Whose bright idea was it to put a wooden beam in the middle of the room? He growled irritably but no one heard it. The Vikings and dragons were all focused on a completely different sound.

Hiccup had nearly fallen off the bench. His loud guffaws echoed off the walls of the Hall and drowned out just about any other noises coming from within. His face became bright red and tears streamed down his cheeks but, for some reason, he simply could not stop laughing. The Hooligans all stopped for a moment to watch their chief finally fall out of Astrid's arms, overwhelmed by his own laughter. Toothless shot Hiccup an irritated glare but this only made the Viking laugh harder. Astrid laughed at the sight of her husband, who didn't seem to care how ridiculous he looked. The twins joined in because they rarely got to see their daddy laugh _that_ hard and they thought it was an interesting sight indeed. Within a few minutes, his guffaws were punctuated by loud hiccups. Adrianna looked even more delighted.

It was in that moment that the Hooligans knew that, while things would never go back to the way they were, everything was going to be just fine. They still grieved for Stoick, still felt his absence but it was time to move on. Time to laugh again. Time to enjoy life and cherish every precious second of happiness. As the Haddocks laughed until they all came down with the hiccups and Toothless shot them all death glares, the tension eased and life, no matter how unpredictable it could be, had become wonderful once again.

* * *

_This is Berk_

_It's the home of some of the toughest creatures in the whole of the archipelago. And I'm not just talking about the dragons._

_My father always said that a leader isn't born, he is made. He said it often but I never truly understood what it meant until now. The journey has been rough and I know there are always going to be difficulties ahead. That's all part of life._

_But my father left me with one more lesson to learn. It's that life is precious. We never know what's going to jump in and stir up trouble. No one knows how long we have to spend on this earth. And so we shouldn't waste a single second. In nearly dying, I have learned to live. And I intend to live to the fullest, to take hold of each moment and turn it into something memorable._

_It won't be easy. I know that for sure. But we'll get through whatever life throws our way. We always do._

* * *

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story! Keep an eye out for Stowaway, the fourth story in the series! And, as always, special thanks to EmmerzK, the amazing co-author of these stories!
> 
> Don't forget to comment!
> 
> ~KateMarie999


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